Harry Potter and the Twin
by bibbitybobbityboohoo
Summary: Harry Potter (age 7) discovers he has a twin brother! He's a mean, fire spitting boy who insists magic is real but he loves Harry and that's what matters. Features violence, magic, and deaged Severus Snape. And love. Lots of brotherly love. But no Hogwarts yet
1. Introduction

"You freaky little freak! You'll regret you were ever born for this!" Harry flinched back as the door to his cupboard was practically torn from the hinges but he was not snatched out for his earlier transgression, instead a little body familiar to him now was thrown in. Harry stared at his uncle who filled the entire door space and wondered why it looked like he had gotten into a street brawl. His hair was all over the place, his shirt was missing a few buttons, his bottom lip was split open and… was that a bite mark on his cheek? Harry looked away quickly as the wild and angry eyes locked onto him from the round and purple face. He could feel them boring holes into his forehead and he knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to make sure he didn't try to comfort the still boy on their shared cot.

"It's almost dinner time, boy," although his tone was still gruff, it was the nicest it had ever been directed towards him. He nodded ever so slowly and watched as the man retreated. He even managed to not flinch as the door slammed shut. It was as if a spell had been broken the way the other boy came back to life fluidly sitting up and folding his legs pretzel style to give Harry room to stretch out. He began what was an almost tri-weekly ritual of carefully feeling along his arms and legs, wiggling his toes and fingers and pressing along his face for any severe damage.

"You shouldn't do that," Harry whispered just as the boy pressed little fingers into his eye. A sharp hiss exploded from him and he flinched into a sliver of light. There was already a bruise blossoming under the boy's eye and Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss it better and promise that it wouldn't happen again but that would be a horrible, terrible thing to lie about.

"Do what?" The boy spat, his face twisting into a nasty snarl, eyes glittering with malice. It was the same look he wore most of the time but it never went more than a dirty look with Harry and that made him feel better. Even though this boy hated everyone, he didn't hate Harry. In fact, he let Harry cuddle up to him and hug him whenever he wanted. Which is what he did now, pressing his face into the oversized shirt and curling as much as he could to the equally small boy.

"You know… get good grades and argue and all that other stuff," Harry muttered, idly twirling a strand of long red hair that cascaded to the boy's shoulders. His hair was very pretty even as dirty as it was. It didn't have to be this dirty as their family provided them with a cold bath every three days but it was another thing the redhead fought them on. He'd much rather go to school, steal a cleaning rag and use the hot water there to get rid of most of the grime. It left him with dirty, greasy hair and a mostly clean body. Harry was just glad that he had yet to be caught.

"I am Severus Tobias… Potter," the new last name tripped up the little boy but he continued firmly, "I will not disrespect myself with low grades simply because some of us are still learning our ABCs."

By 'some of us' Severus meant Dudley. It was an exaggeration but Dudley would be at the very bottom of the class if Harry wasn't and Severus tried very hard to lift Harry from the spot. Literally. He moved Harry away from Dudley and to the very front of the class. Then he insisted on tutoring Harry while they ate lunch. He didn't quite need the tutoring but it was nice to see that the boy cared and to know if his first answers were correct before he erased them to put the wrong answers. Severus was at the top of the class, knocking Winifred White to number two in just three tests and a week of homework. The dark eyed boy claimed that Harry could put her in number three if he stopped coddling Dudley.

"I can't just…" Harry paused because even though they were twins, they spent their very short lives much, much differently. According to Aunt Petunia, Severus and himself had been separated after their father caused that car accident due to his drunk driving. Severus had ended up with his 'ma and pa' and Harry with the Dursleys. From there Severus told him that his ma was a lovely witch who taught him all the potions and spells he knew (he was obviously having Harry on about the witch stuff but the way he spoke of her was very real) and his pa was a sometimes boxing coach who taught him all his fighting skills which he intended to teach his twin as soon as Harry was willing. They loved Severus to pieces until the day they were killed right in front of him. There was no way that he could explain to this boy who stood tall even when he was hurting and who had people that loved and cared for him every second until they died that he had found a balance in this Hell. It was delicate but it allowed him to stave off the worse of their punishments and there was no way he could break that trend. Especially not in the way Severus did.

"I bit him right on the face. Did you see it?" Severus said suddenly. He sounded very proud of himself and Harry was proud too. Harry stifled a giggle as he tried to imagine a scenario in which the other boy would even be that close to their uncle. Severus had no such problems cackling as loud as possible. He was always satisfied when he got even the tiniest one-up on any Dursley but especially on Uncle Vernon.

"QUIET!" Vernon thundered followed by harsh thumps that caused dust and bits of debris to rain down on the boys. Severus immediately invited Harry into his oversized shirt to protect the boy's face and weak lungs. He bit back his planned retort, not due to fear or pain but because he didn't want to antagonize the man too fast. At the moment _Vernon_ still thought he could use the same methods on him as they did on Harry with much added violence to tame him. He didn't want him to realize that hurting Severus meant nothing but hurting his twin… well, that would cause a big problem. He was also content with their weak attempts at turning them against each other by rewarding one (usually Harry) with basic necessities when the other misbehaved. It wouldn't work because Severus was Severus and Harry was oblivious.

Severus soothed the shaking bundle under his shirt, feeling the fear rock off of him in large waves. Their uncle could always sense just the right time to ruin something, that bloated acorn. Severus brushed bits of debris and dust off his face, glad that it wasn't spiders this time. And that Harry hadn't started to wheeze.

"Why were you in here?" Severus asked curiously after their uncle had walked off. They were only thrown in here when they were either being punished or put to sleep. Severus was in the cupboard a lot.

"I made my hair grow back when Aunt Petunia looked away," Harry mumbled, voice muffled against his skin. Severus nodded in understanding. He too hated the choppy shortness their Aunt tried to put onto them but he also didn't wait for her to turn her back to make his hair grow to its proper length. His hair would grow instantaneously as though it had never been cut until there was a sea of red. He's pretty sure he's broken her by now.

"So they'll let you out in a bit for dinner. Try to eat enough for both of us," Severus lifted his shirt to direct a small grin at the boy. Green eyes glittered owlishly at him. Harry didn't understand Severus one bit. The boy constantly fought with the Dursleys every step of the way—physically, mentally and emotionally—to the point where it was rare if they fed him even scraps most days. He survived solely on food he carefully stole and the food they provided at school which was only breakfast and lunch. Sure he charmed snacks out of their fellow classmates or entire lunches in exchange for homework done from older students but he still lost at least two stones since arriving at Privet Drive. On the other side, their relatives fed Harry as if he were family or at least they gave him a full plate and even allowed seconds once everyone else decided they didn't want to eat. He didn't understand this change but he didn't risk saying anything as he's never been this well fed in his life. Still, guilt gnawed at him whenever he saw the closed door and just knew that his own twin was going hungry. This is where the majority of his confusion came from because Severus wasn't angry about it. He didn't scorn Harry for eating while he went hungry, in fact he seemed _happy_ that Harry had gained ten pounds and his face had filled out a bit. He would cup his cheeks and give them a little squeeze, all the while smiling. Harry just didn't understand it.

"Boy! Come eat dinner!" Uncle Vernon shouted. Harry hadn't broken eye contact with his brother and didn't want to. Yes, he was hungry but he's eaten more these past weeks than he's had practically his entire time there.

"No sense in us both going hungry," Severus shrugged, sensing the guilt plaguing his twin. He pushed Harry away and urged him from their cupboard before the boy got the idea to go hungry alongside him and he was sure that Harry would try it.

Severus was alone after two pushes got Harry out of their 'room'. He stretched out his legs and folded his arms behind his head. This was the worse place he's ever lived and he's lived in a cave deep in a forest somewhere before. He hated it here. He hated being Severus Potter. He hated that his ma and pa died and he couldn't even remember how or where they had been buried. He hated the old man who revealed that he had actually been adopted and had molded his face back into his 'true' face. Who did that old man think he was to undo his Ma's hard work in protecting him? How dare he take away the last faces his parents had worn? He should have stabbed that old man as soon as the urge came to him. What if, however unlikely, he forgot about them? What if their faces faded? Hot, silent tears leaked from his eyes and into his hair. His stupid, permanent red hair. Severus wiped angrily at his tears. His ma always told him to Occlude because self control was all the control anyone truly had but his pa said holding in your emotions wasn't good, especially if they were bad emotions. He would gather Severus up in his arms and rub his back until he was crying loudly and messing up his shirt with snot and tears. His ma could be convinced to do the same if she really thought he needed it because he was just a kid. But she would shush him too and hum until he fell asleep. There was no one here to do that now though so he pushed all those thoughts away into the secret box and focused on just the sounds outside this cramped little prison.

"Mummy, did you see what Harry got on his test today!?" The loud voice of his new cousin shouted, most likely around food as there was no way he would have enough manners to swallow first or even to pause for a second. It was as though he were the child they starved and he feared them stealing away his food. "It was a 37!" Dudley was so loud and smug. With little to back it up.

"And what did you get Dudders?" Petunia crooned as though she expected her spawn to be so much better.

"A 40!" Severus rolled his eyes. He had only gotten that score based on the leniency of the teacher who was soft on children with parents who would cause a scene. And yes, the Dursleys were just that type of parents. They should be more concerned that their son couldn't read very well rather than attacking the teacher attempting to help him.

"That's because you're a smart, handsome prince! You get all the pie you want tonight."

"But Severus got a perfect score and the extra credit. I heard teacher say she wants him out of primary and into secondary already!" Dudley continued on with jealousy obviously coloring his vocal cords. Hot, vindictive joy filled his chest. He could just imagine the petulant pout on the chubby boy's face. He hoped those dusty fears were working round and round to start the process of questioning his own intelligence. Maybe he even felt dumb as a rock. Good.

"That's because the boy is a freak of nature. No doubt he cheats," Vernon grumbled. The joy just got hotter. Of course that acorn would suggest he cheated but no. He didn't have to cheat because he had a ma and pa who cared more about making sure he could read rather than spoiling him rotten.

"Thank you for dinner Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. This was amazing. Would you like me to clean up and serve the pie?" Harry suddenly spoke up.

"See, this one is a freak too but he knows his place. Get to cleaning boy—you can even have a slice of pie too." A sort of sullen irritation cooled the joy within Severus. Harry didn't warrant this treatment nor did he react to it the way Severus had been taught. Harry made himself small and invisible (literally one time) and never argued. He thought he could _please_ his way into being treated like a proper human being. Not like Severus who knew better. These people thought they could break him and mend him into something like Harry but he wouldn't let them. He would never bend to them! Not while the memory of his ma and pa still existed. So he fought in any way he could no matter how hungry or dirty he got. He would break _them_ first. With that thought and the sound of dishes being gathered and washed, Severus fell asleep on that dirty cot with his stomach twisting in hunger.

At Hogwarts

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Minerva sat stiffly in the wingback chair, cupping the hot mug of tea in shaking hands. This had been a very trying month for the witch and she found herself asking this question any time they were alone together. She looked to the wizard beside her. He was silent for a long moment, dropping a couple of candies in his tea and taking a few sips as he gathered his thoughts.

"Severus had unique parents. They were both of magic blood and yet no one has any recollection of them. They lived all around muggle Europe, changing their names and appearances so often that even their own son doesn't know what they looked like. Their jobs paid in cash, they never went to the doctor and they had Severus at home. There is no real proof that Eileen and Tobias were their real names or just the last ones used. Severus doesn't even have a birth certificate in either of our worlds. When he was around seven years old his mother and father were murdered by a muggle gunmen who then killed himself. Severus was so traumatized that he hid in his mind for a week. By the time he healed a small bit of himself, he was in the muggle foster system and had a new name he never accepted and a new appearance he had crafted through accidental magic. He moved from one home to another until finally landing in the hands of one Seth McDonald at nine. McDonald was a vicious, horrible man who… well the things he did to Severus I cannot repeat. Severus attempted to escape him several times but was unsuccessful until his graduation."

Albus left out the part that Severus hadn't _technically_ escaped McDonald. In reality, Severus had kidnapped the man from his home and tortured him for weeks on end, keeping him alive with magic, careful incisions and potions. He had disfigured him to the point that no one would have been able to recognize him had Severus allowed his body to be found. That had been his price of becoming a Death Eater. Revenge on those who hurt him. It was probably the only one he had not the slightest regret about and Severus has done many horrible things during his tenure. Albus felt himself go green as he remembered the mutilated body Severus allowed him to view but it was the pride that the boy felt that truly sickened him.

"You knew this and still allowed those horrid boys to torment him?" Minerva gaped. She and Severus were only just becoming true friends as he had only started believing her olive branch to be real. She loved that boy—had loved him ever since he stepped foot into Hogwarts as an ill tempered, skinny runt who never backed down from a fight. She had tried to protect him or at least deter the bullying he received but that was hard when the other teachers and even the Headmaster refused to see what was happening. She glared at her old friend and felt a bit satisfied that he at least had the decency to blush.

"I had not known about his home life until after he came to work with us. We spoke sometimes when his nightmares kept him up. He didn't want you to think he was weak," Albus explained when he saw the highly offended look Minerva adopted. It wasn't quite a lie but it wasn't a whole truth either. Severus was his highly valued spy who exposed many Death Eater plans before Tom's supposed demise. The reason he was able to do this was because Albus kept his identity under tight wraps, not even the most trusted of the Order knew who was his spy and he wouldn't have told anyone because there was no doubt that Tom would be back. He had considered confiding in Minerva or allowing his surly Potions Master to confide in her but the woman was overprotective and would have snatched the young man away before he could blink.

Albus huffed silently. Not that any of that mattered anymore. Over the weekend Severus had… had an accident. Or he thought it was an accident. A curse or a potion or an odd combination of both that had reduced him to a shell-shocked seven year old. For a week he had put the boy into a magically induced coma while he contacted several experts just to find out that there was nothing to be done. Severus Snape would have to grow up again.

"So you came up with this… this elaborate lie and placed him into the care of those Dursley people. I tell you I don't like the look of that lot," Minerva frowned. Albus almost told her that he didn't do elaborate lies. Elaborate lies had a chance of being exposed. If so many events hadn't lined up in his favor, he would have sent Severus somewhere much further away or kept him so close that, by time Tom reared his head again they wouldn't even need Harry. But that sounded like boasting and Albus wasn't much of a boaster in his old age.

"I have provided them with all the money they could need for both boys from the massive wealth of the Potter line to Severus's own modest wealth that grows every month. I surveyed the Dursley household and it seems to be adequately stocked with food and remarkably clean. I saw a bin filled with toys," Albus was actually impressed by that. Not the bin but the cleanliness. He had even seen the Dursley boy who was fat and happy and watching some sort of muggle device. They must run a strict house for it to be clean even as the boy sprayed crisps every time he laughed.

"Did you see Harry?"

"No, I didn't want to disturb his bonding with his aunt. Apparently they were gardening in the back." Which was much better as the boy needed to know hard work and have the sun on his skin. Minerva stared at him as though he had grown a head or two. Albus allowed the look to slide off of him. The witch didn't understand what needed to be done or why. She refused to see the bigger picture. Harry couldn't live in the Wizarding world where he would be pampered and useless—he needed to have humility and know hardships and hard work. And Severus couldn't live there because Harry needed a protector. There wasn't a chance that Severus wouldn't latch onto the boy especially with the grief of his dead parents fresh on his mind.

"If this backfires I will have your hide before Voldemort even thinks to get to you," the witch warned. Sometimes she hated how her friend played with the lives of others. It was as though he didn't see them as people but rather chess pieces to be moved about the board and sacrificed when needed. She was not part of his Order nor did she desire to be but even now she saw the way those twinkling eyes looked at her. They sized her up, ready to change her position at any given moment. She hated that look, wanted to claw out those blue gems and run away to live out her years on the countryside but she couldn't do that. No, she would never abandon her students.

"Well, I do say that I cannot keep teaching Potions if we want the students to actually excel in their testing… I would like your opinion on these candidates," Albus reached into his robes to pull out a parchment.

TBC

I don't own anything in this story. If you are looking for an explanation of the deaging thing that won't be for a like super long time.


	2. The Fight

I forgot the warnings! I am so sorry and I changed the rating to M because this is mature. Warning: violence and blood and very strong language

CHAPTER TWO

They laid in the darkness, Severus's head on Harry's chest. He liked laying like this, Harry's heart was so soothing to hear and he swore it had gotten stronger since he's been there. Nine months. He had been there nearly a year. Their shared birthday was coming up soon according to Harry. He had yet to tell his brother that he never had a set birthday—they weren't big on calendars so they would just celebrate whenever they had the means with lots of laughter and warmth and a few presents. It was like with his name and appearance, they were just things to be changed when it was time to move. He's been Severus Smith. Severus Rogers. Samuel Watterson. Clover White. Anthony Fraggs. Alice Morgan. Britney Brittany. Severus always giggled at Britney Brittany. But alas. The days of different birthdays, appearances and names were over. He was Severus Tobias Potter and his birthday was now end of July. Permanently.

It amazed him how time had flown. It was already June! Severus felt as though he had been in this cupboard for years. He was in so much pain, no matter how hard he tried to Occlude it. He had been beaten with a leather strap this time, arms and legs tied so he couldn't fight back because Vernon Dursley was a fucking coward who was scared of a seven year old fighting back. Rage simmered in his chest but it cooled as he remembered that the punishment had been worth it. He had saved Harry to earn this particular beating. Aunt Petunia (a crazy bitch his ma would say) had tried to smack Harry with a frying pan. A FRYING PAN! He didn't know what his brother had done to deserve this—knew there was nothing Harry could have done to deserve it—but he had acted on instinct. He magicked the frying pan aimed at Harry and sent it flying back at the skinny hag at speeds that would have surely dented her skull had it hit her. Unfortunately it had landed deep in the wall behind her.

"You know… I could kill them. My ma and pa showed me how. I could make it painless or the worst last minutes of their lives," Severus said nonchalantly in the silence. It was almost like a joke the way he said it so flippantly (and because what kid said that sorta thing) but he wasn't joking or lying. Harry saw it in his eyes when he offered to kill them his first night here, right in the kitchen. Harry just knew that Severus would actually kill them without a second thought or a shred of remorse. But only if Harry allowed him to— _wanted_ him to. Harry didn't want that though. Not really. He wanted to scoop up his brother and run away with him until they found somewhere safe and warm with some light.

"No. I just want things to be better. That can happen without killing them," Harry murmured into the head of hair he loved so much. Severus let out a disappointed sigh and Harry wondered, not for the first time, if his brother had all his marbles in the basket. "We have some time before breakfast. Can you tell me a story of your Ma or Pa?" He liked to hear about a happier time for his brother. It helped him daydream about a day when they could both live like that.

"Sure. What do you want to hear about?"

It was odd, this protectiveness and and obsessive need to please Harry that Severus had developed. It was like he fell in love as soon as he looked into this sad, green eyes. He would go to any length to protect Harry and one of these days he would convince his twin that killing these animals was the _only_ way to be truly free. They didn't have the luxury of waiting for Hogwarts not when the abuse escalated the longer and harder Severus fought. And he wouldn't stop fighting. Never! But he also knew that Vernon would kill him before the three years was up or exhaustion would. His body was surviving on magic it felt. Magic and the fear of what would happen to Harry should he die. Harry could probably live on but he'd be broken and empty after spending these months bonding and attaching.

"Hmmm how about how they met?" Harry loved love stories and they always seemed to put Severus in a good mood. Well, any story he told of his time before here seemed to rejuvenate him. Especially when he embellished with magic. Harry liked the embellishments because it was more like a fairytale.

"As you wish," Severus yawned, shifting to be more comfortable and susceptible to hair kisses and hair strokes. Then he started his favorite version of how his parents met.

 _Once upon a time, there lived an extremely gifted witch named Eileen. She came from a wealthy, very powerful family who cared very much about their reputation. Eileen was limited to what she could do from what classes she could take, to what foods she could consume—even down to who she could love. On the last day of her schooling, when it would be decided who she would be marrying, the young witch stomped up to her parents._

" _Let me leave this manor!" She demanded, "let me go into the muggle world and see it for what it is!"_

" _Ha ha!" Her family laughed, "you wouldn't last a single day by yourself. With no money? No magic? No family to help you?"_

 _They technically did not deny her permission so she packed a very small bag with practical clothes, shoes and the pocket money she saved up. Then she set out into the muggle world. At first it was hard for her. She did not know the people or the money or their customs. She attempted to get a job at this place or this one but no one would have her as she did not have proper papers or even an education to tell them about. She spent her very last money in a bar on a single drink to soothe her misery and give her the courage to return to her family as a failure. Just as she finished the last drop and prepared to gather her modest belongings another drink had been pushed in front of her. She looked up to find a handsome young man sitting across from her._

" _Hey," he waved._

" _Hello," she replied._

" _I'm Tobias. I've seen you around, looking for jobs. Are you a witch?" The man guessed. Eileen gaped at him because he was right but he wasn't supposed to be right! She became suspicious and pushed the drink away as it may very well be poisoned._

" _Why do you ask?" She demanded. Was he a wizard coming to take her back to her family with force? Was he one of those muggles who experimented on magical people? Was he an Auror who was trying to entrap her!?_

" _I'm a squib and I ask because I know a guy who can get you some papers for a reasonable price," Tobias offered._

" _That is very kind of you but I have spent the last of my pounds," Eileen sighed._

" _I kinda figured. I've been on enough boats to see when people are ready to jump. If you don't mind serving barbarians and maybe slapping a few people I know a pub hiring. Owner don't ask too many questions." Even though the man seemed sincere, Eileen found herself suspicious. Why was this handsome stranger trying to help her? Why—_

"Wake up, freaks! It's time for breakfast!" Dudley interrupted quite rudely, bouncing on the stairs to send dust raining down on them. Severus growled and pushed himself up using Harry's soft belly and burst from their prison. Harry felt his face drain of color; Severus _hated_ to be interrupted and found the act of repeating himself a very high insult. It didn't help that he was in pain and probably hungry even after pilfering a sandwich. Harry scrambled from their room just in time to see Severus pull his mouth from Dudley's ear. The boy's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and he trembled like the jello he loved to eat. Severus had a twisted smile on his face as he practically floated away.

"What did you say to him?" Harry whispered, following his brother into the kitchen. He threw a glance back at Dudley to see him sitting on the couch with the most vacant expression known to man.

"Nothing you need to know," Severus hummed cheerfully, pulling the skillet from the wall where Petunia had left it. It seemed she was too scared to touch the thing and that satisfied him. Maybe she would think twice before trying to harm his brother.

"You're going to get us in trouble," Harry whispered, diving into the task. He and Severus made a good cooking team, making meals that even Aunt Petunia couldn't fault. Harry thought they were good enough to be professionals and often dreamed of running away to become chefs in some kitchen before having their own restaurant. That would be nice.

"Or maybe they'll see fit to punish me by rewarding you. You know they do that in the hopes of turning us against each other. Sloppily of course but that's their attempt," Severus slung a dirty apron over Harry's oversized shirt and made sure it was nice and tight. He didn't need such an item as he very rarely spilled anything. Instead he just pushed up the long, oversized sleeves and willed them to stay up.

"I kinda thought that," Harry admitted, cracking eggs into a large mixing bowl. It had taken him some time but he had finally noticed the pattern when it went the opposite way. Severus had been given a full plate of food the day Harry did something freakish. It had been something small and he had berated himself while he sobbed in the cupboard because things had been going well. His meals weren't three times a day but at least once or twice every day and he had ruined that just by going from one place to another. He hadn't meant to—Dudley was chasing him around with the intent to get in the lashes he couldn't with Severus and teachers around. Severus was kept home under the pretense of a illness but really it was because Vernon had hit him too many times with his fists and his face had been covered in too many bruises. So Dudley had the chance to torment him once again. Harry still didn't know how he did the freaky thing but it happened and he had been seen clutching the top of the flagpole by teachers. Severus insisted it was magic but Harry didn't believe in magic.

Actually, that wasn't true. He did believe in a kind of magic. His brother and whatever force had delivered the boy to him was a magic he would never deny. The boy loved him with fierce intensity as though he had known him his whole life. Severus would probably do anything for him even if Harry _didn't_ love him back. But he did. Severus was the best thing to ever happen to him and brought him so much joy. In fact, that same night his twin had eaten half of the full plate then blatantly took it to the cupboard where he shoveled food into a startled Harry's mouth. The shrill screams of Petunia could not stop him or the protests of Dudley. Even the large hand of their uncle descending on his shoulder only granted the man a set of teeth buried deep in his flesh. Tears misted his eyes as he stirred the homemade pancake batter. His brother would do anything for his worthless hide without hesitating. Guilt gnawed at him as he never did anything like that for Severus. He just couldn't!

"Pay attention," a wooden spoon bopped him gently on the head. He blinked and looked down at the mixing bowl to see he had gone a little wild with the whisk and some of the mix had dropped down the side. Enough for one pancake. Severus looked over their shoulders then peeped his head out of the kitchen to make sure the coast was clear. Then he scrapped the mixture off the floor and put it into the pan, using a rag to get the residue up.

"We'll make sure Vernon gets that one," he winked. Harry still found himself scandalized at his brother's gall. The boy was crazy! But Harry couldn't help but smile and laugh as they made breakfast side by side. His brother was magical.

"Dudders? Dudders! Are you okay?" Aunt Petunia was now in the living room. Harry quickly flipped the pancake so the little hairs and black stuff would be cooked in and invisible. Just like that Aunt Petunia burst into the kitchen like a whirlwind, her beady eyes staring holes into their backs. Harry remained calm even though his heart was pounding.

"Hello Aunt Petunia," Severus greeted. He stepped from the stool provided for them and slid in front of Harry who kept making pancakes.

"Which of you little freaks hurt my Dudders!?" Petunia shrieked. She almost demanded that the monster not say her name like that. Like it was a disgusting slime he couldn't be bothered to touch but he would just taunt her in another way.

"We've done nothing Aunt Petunia. Dudley was kind enough to wake us up for our cooking duties and I thanked him. You like your egg poached, right Aunt Petunia?" Severus smiled brightly up at the woman with that familiar red hair framing his face and brown eyes that she thought looked like black beetles.

"You and your brother are nothing. Your father was a drunk who killed his wife and disfigured your brother. You both are unwanted and unloved _freaks_ ," Petunia snarled, covering her fear quite well. Severus's expression didn't change for the worse, in fact he seemed even happier with her response. He nodded cheerfully to his words, reaching a hand out to pat his trembling brother's thigh.

"That may very well be true, Aunt Petunia, but your husband has extramarital affairs every Thursday and Saturday evening when he claims to be working late. We have even caught him being naughty on Monday mornings when you do the shopping and leave these loveless freaks here at home. Don't you ever wonder about the perfume, Aunt Petunia?" Severus jumped back onto his stool as though he had said nothing and started whisking Dudley's four eggs. Harry's eyes widened at the sudden reveal and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at his aunt. The woman was shell shocked, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

Even though Severus had said 'we' it was actually Harry who found out about the affair long before Severus showed up. When he was five. Aunt Petunia had tasked him with cleaning all the rooms and he had finally gotten to theirs. He was under the bed when Uncle Vernon and a woman who was _definitely_ not Aunt Petunia came inside. Clothes fell rapidly to the floor and Harry just knew he would get beaten to half his life if they discovered him so he curled up as tight as he could and covered his ears and thought about anything but the present. Amazingly, it was like he had gone deaf, nothing but a low buzz making its way to his hearing.

A broken sob brought him back to the kitchen and he turned back to the stove as tears poured down their Aunt's horse like face. She sputtered for a moment, too angry or heartbroken to speak properly before she gave up and ran from the kitchen. Her steps were fast but light as she dashed to her bedroom and began to wail so loud they could hear it muffled through the floorboards.

"You didn't have to say that," Harry murmured, starting on another pancake. He hadn't exactly told Severus about that incident for him to use it as an attack—he just couldn't keep it in any longer especially when Severus had already started to become suspicious about their uncle and his late nights.

"She doesn't have to abuse us," Severus shot back, whisking the eggs even more. Dudley liked his nice and fluffy.

"That was mean. You're being mean," Harry scolded. Severus let out a bark that might have been a laugh and his lips were pulled back into a snarl that might have been a smile. It looked odd on his angelic face framed by beautiful, deep red hair.

"I have been downright cordial since I arrived here. My ma and pa would have me over their knees for allowing myself to stay here when I can rectify this mess with a few choice plants or any weapon of choice. I could gut these people like pigs but I have refrained from doing such even though I am tired, hungry and thirsty. The most I have done is fight _back_. I do not start altercations but if they want to attack then damn right I will use anything and everything in my arsenal to protect myself and to protect you," sometimes it was hard for Harry to understand that this was a little boy in front of him—a little boy who was his exact age and even smaller than him now. Sometimes he thought he was an adult who towered over him and was filled with power and authority. Sometimes he was scared. Most of the time he was relieved.

"BOY! WHAT HAVE YOU SAID TO HER!?" Vernon thundered. He was descending down the stairs and, even as fear filled Harry, his brother looked at peace. He kept eye contact with Harry, unwavering and uncaring.

"Harry, you are so much braver than you think. I saw it the first day I met you. Even if I have to die to prove that you are more than this piece of shite family, I will do it. Now… I just have one question. Do you want things to be better, even a little?"

"W-what?" Harry sputtered, looking to where his uncle would be in seconds.

"Quickly Harry! Do you want things to be better?" Severus snapped, pulling down his sleeves. He snatched up a wooden spoon and metal prong and hid them up his sleeves. What was he planning? What should Harry say? The thunder was getting closer, ready to bring pain and Hell upon them. He knew the answer, knew what he wanted. He was tired of living like this! He just wanted a real bed and some food!

"Make it better," Harry whimpered then hurriedly turned off the flames and moved the large skillet just in time for their uncle to burst into the kitchen much like their Aunt but this time was different. He was absolutely seething, his face purple and foam dripping from his mouth. He looked unhinged as he charged at Severus. He grabbed the boy by his shoulders and shook him so hard Harry was sure his brain would come out of his ears. Uncle Vernon slammed him into the oven for good measure and pressed his face so close they were nose to nose.

"What did you say you ugly freak!? You disrespectful, fallacious monster! I'll break a bone for every lie you told!" He roared, spittle flying with every word. Harry clutched hard at the skillet warming his hands. He was brave. Severus said so. He could fight back. Today he would fight back. Today Severus wouldn't be alone. They would make it better.

"Fallacious…" Severus mulled over the word as though he had not had the life shaken from him. When he continued his voice was sarcastic and harsh, "if you taught your son words like that he wouldn't be so dense. At this rate he'll be in secondary school unable to string together coherent thoughts."

"Why you little…!" Vernon reared back a hand to deliver a slap that would surely kill the boy. Severus pulled out the prong then, holding it in the fat hand's path. Had Vernon not been so harsh, it would have merely stuck to his hand. As it were, the prong went through to the other side causing blood to gush everywhere and the man to howl in pain. He scrambled backwards, knocking into the dishes piled on the island and causing them to smash. He tripped over his own feet and smacked his head so hard on the table that even Severus winced a little.

"I am exhausted, weary really, Vernon," Severus sighed, unconcerned for their uncle. He revealed the wooden spoon and advanced to the large man who laid thrashing on the floor, clutching his hand. Vernon seemed to realize he was approaching and threw a clumsy kick at him which he maneuvered around. "Harry and I have some grievances that we wish to address. Don't go passing out on me, Vernon!" Severus whack him hard right on the nose. "We are kids, Vernon. We just want necessities I believe you are capable of. We will start with a proper bedroom. I think the guest room will serve us just fine."

"Over… my… dead body!" Vernon spat then in a burst of strength he punched Severus right in the nose, causing the small boy to practically fly across the room. Harry felt something crack inside him at the sight of his still brother with a no doubt broken nose. The pan was suddenly light in his hands and he flung the hot grease forward, catching the man along his thigh and some of his stomach.

"You don't hit him! No more! We're not freaks. We're good boys! Good boys who deserve better!" Tears started to blind him but it couldn't stop him from landing the first blow to his uncle. He was weak but the skillet was hot and heavy. Uncle—no! What kind of uncle hurt his nephews the way he did? Who took pleasure from other people's pain? Not an uncle! Just an animal named Vernon. Harry raised the skillet again and hit Vernon's foot. There was a low crunch that Harry couldn't hear over his own wails. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He jus wanted to be treated better! What was so hard about that!?

"What—VERNON! What are you doing to him?" Petunia was there. Another animal. She locked him in the cupboard. She called him names. She starved him. She overworked him. She watched as her husband beat up on his twin and her own blood nephew. Harry prepared himself to swing wildly at her too but a little hand landed lightly on his shoulder. Severus was up again. Blood smeared across his face and he had to be in a lot of pain but he was there and smiling gently and pressing his other hand onto the skillet. Harry let it go with a gasp and found himself burying his face in his brother's chest. Severus wrapped his thin arms around him in comfort.

"We had a chat. Vernon has seen the error of his ways and wishes for us to be treated better. We are going to move into the bedroom upstairs and tomorrow we are going to get Harry some glasses. He squints a lot. Then I think clothes would be appropriate too," Severus announced.

"I… Vernon needs hospital. Please let me take him," Petunia pleaded as she looked at her injured husband. Severus followed her gaze as though he had forgotten about the man and studied him with malicious eyes.

"We really did a number on him. Please, try to be careful with that hand or there may be permanent damage," Severus said solemnly. He shifted his hold on his twin until his arm was slung over his shoulder and he leaned heavily into him. Petunia began to shake her husband back into consciousness, blinking back tears.

"Let's take a hot bath," Severus muttered into his ear. As Harry carried most of his brother's weight it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. Severus was weak, struggling to climb the stairs and so thin and light Harry could carry him in one arm probably. The boy's head was heavy on his shoulder and he could barely stand upright whilst Harry started their very first hot bath. This was probably the end of Severus's rope, the last of his strength. And he had used it in a last ditch effort to free them.

"Let me clean your face first," Harry dipped the rag into the steaming water and made quick work of wiping it free of blood. When he pulled back there was a large gash and his nose was practically on the other side of his face with how bad it was broken.

"I… I can't breathe like this. Get me two pencils and Petunia's mirror," Severus ordered, breathing heavily through his mouth. He would have to set his nose all on his own. Well, he wasn't completely alone. He smiled tiredly at his brother and accepted the two pencils and commanded the boy to hold the mirror still. He froze as he took in his image. Not just the nose which was absolutely ruined but the gauntness of his face, the hungry in his eyes, the limpness in his hair. He looked like a ghost that was just barely holding on and maybe that was true. He felt like a puppet that had its strings cut. Already he could feel a fever coming on and his stomach twisted harshly. But he had to hold on for a bit more. Just long enough to fix his nose and enjoy a well deserved bath. He carefully shoved the two pencils up his nostrils and bit down on the bloody rag.

"Have you ever done this before?" Harry looked at him worriedly over the mirror. Severus didn't respond. Of course he hadn't done this before. In what normal scenario would a seven almost eight year old be setting his own severely broken nose? But he's seen his ma patch his da up this way after a sparring match gone a little too far. She had used coins but said pencils would do just fine. Then she warned her husband to take a deep breath and—CRACK! His eyes watered and his cries were muffled as he jerked his head back and away from the pain he had caused himself. He was dizzier than from being punched and barely noticed as strong, little arms wrapped around him. He was picked up mostly and placed into the most lovely water in the world. A body was behind his, gently washing him with sweet smelling soap. He felt days of dirt and grime leave him, itchiness that he had pushed to the back of his mind disappeared all together. A gentle rag dragged carefully across his face and a whimper escaped him as it passed over the damage. Then his hair was being washed, sure fingers scraping out what had to be months of dirt. Severus sighed and pretended for just a moment that his ma was here doing this and after his pa would pat him dry and cuddle him into his strong chest and tell him a story that vibrated under his head until he couldn't fight off sleep any longer.

"C'mon Sev, help me get you out of the water," Insistent hands were pulling at him, urging him to drag his body into a standing position. He was so tired. Then he was laying on sinfully soft sheets and pressed into a warm chest that was too small to be his pa but the heartbeat was still there and still strong.

"You did it. I love you, Severus," Harry murmured, stroking his wet hair. It was then that Severus opened his eyes. They were in the guest room, the big one with the nice bed and set of dressers with a desk pushed to the side. They had covers warming them—real covers. There was a window which Harry had thrown wide open. He turned his gaze up and found those hopeful, affectionate green eyes and it all came crashing down on him. All the feelings he held inside, all the pain he pushed in the back of his mind and every exhausting second he spent clawing and fighting crashed into and onto him like ocean waves. Tears and snot poured down his face as he bawled for the first time. His ma and pa were dead. He missed them. He missed his homes and his things. He missed the friends he would make and eventually leave. He missed training with his pa. He missed brewing potions with his ma. He missed their hugs and kisses. He hated fighting like this. He hated being treated like this.

"It's going to be better now. Ssshhhh. I love you. I love you," Harry soothed him. Severus clutched hard at his twin, most likely crushing him in his hold but he couldn't bring himself to stop. This was all he had left. This is who he had left. That gave him hope and he promised, silently, to not give up. Today was a brand new day and tomorrow would only be better.

TBC


	3. This Is How They Met

CHAPTER THREE

Harry couldn't believe it. Even though an hour had passed, he still couldn't believe it! He looked down to his twin, the boy who had done the impossible. Severus's face was still wet and snotty so he carefully rolled away from the boy and crept quietly into the bathroom for a wet rag. Gently, he cleaned away all signs of emotion and gently chided himself for his secret thoughts that Severus couldn't cry. Of course he could, he was a little kid like him. Harry placed a gentle little kiss on his forehead and looked around for the hundredth time. He still couldn't believe it.

Severus had done something Harry had only dreamed of but never thought would actually happen. They were in a bedroom. With an actual bed. Harry felt laughter build in his chest but he stamped it down. Severus was exhausted and sick and needed some food and medicine. He was very hot to touch but he shivered under all the heavy blankets which Harry figured wasn't a good thing. He didn't have any medicine though so he focused on what he could grab: food.

As he crept down the stairs, Harry briefly considered that this might be a dream. He didn't really have a mysterious twin who stabbed their uncle to liberate them. He hadn't really burned the man and hit him with a giant skillet. No, no he'd wake up with a horrible fever with his throat dry and his eyes unfocused. His chest would be heaving as he dragged in each breath desperately. Harry paused on the stairs, waiting for his irrational theory to come true but it didn't. He waited some more until he heard a quiet moan from their new bedroom. Their.

Harry pinched himself hard. This was very real and he wasn't the one sick! Harry continued down the stairs, eyes peeled for someone to stop him or yell at him for being out of his cupboard but it was eerily empty, the sun shining through the thin curtains in the living room. Harry almost tripped over his own feet stopping abruptly at the scene in the dining room. Blood, grease and broken glass was everywhere. Well, that wouldn't do. He had to clean up first! Then he was going to make the most getting wellest, tastiest chicken noodle soup in the whole wide world.

Oh wait. Aunt Petunia wanted that chicken to be used for some stuffed nonsense she seen in a magazine…

Harry laughed loudly into his hand as he got the cleaning supplies from under the kitchen sink. He didn't care about that! He felt bold and free. So soup it was!

Freedom!

 _Harry was in the garden, had been since the sun was at its highest. He was covered in dirt, sweat and the sun was burning his skin. His hands had to be bleeding under all the dirt as he pulled at yet another stubborn weed. His hands hurt. How much longer would he be gardening? Harry took a peek at his aunt to gauge how ready she would be to go back inside and almost groaned in despair. She was completely relaxed, lounging back in her chair with a magazine in her lap and a glass of lemonade in her grasp. Harry licked his cracked lips. Oh how he wanted even just the smallest drop of the yellow liquid. He was full on staring at the cup now, his throat feeling drier and his brain screaming that he would get in trouble very soon but he couldn't drag his blurred vision from it. He had only been given a cup of water before being forced out there and now it was like a furnace in his throat. So. Thirsty._

" _Petunia! Get in here!" Uncle Vernon shouted so loudly they could both hear him all the way outside. Uncle Vernon was angry. Aunt Petunia's long, skinny face snapped to him and he looked away quickly but not fast enough to miss the nasty sneer she wore as though Harry could have possibly done something from all the way out here to anger her husband. And maybe that was true. He didn't know why the man was constantly angry with him especially when he did his very best to fulfill every order they gave. He never complained and never let them know he was crying. Dudley did better than him in class… what else could he do to make his own family love him?_

 _Aunt Petunia slammed her magazine down then stomped into the house, muttering mean things under her breath. Harry silently followed from a safe, reasonable distance and stopped abruptly at the scene in the living room. There was a boy, about Harry's size and maybe his age, standing in the middle of the living room. Harry couldn't see his eyes without glasses but the way he limply allowed Aunt Petunia grab his face in her sharp claws and twist it this way and that way told Harry that this boy wasn't fully there in the least. Even he still flinched and stiffened in her hold and she's been touching him since he was in diapers._

" _Turns out the freak has a twin brother and they want us to take this one in too," Vernon grumbled. Twin? His twin? This boy didn't look a thing like him!_

" _Lily had two sons? God, look at this hair!" Petunia sounded absolutely scandalized. Harry thought that the boy had very nice hair. It was long and a deep red that settled cleanly on his shoulders. It reminded him of a sweet warm voice that he couldn't quite hear and soft hands he couldn't quite feel. But Aunt Petunia said that long hair was for girls and deviant boys so of course she wouldn't like this boy's hair. Harry absently ran a hand through his own wild mop that he often (unintentionally) fought to keep. He didn't think this boy would look as nice with hair this length._

" _Where are my scissors? This has to come off immediately!" Aunt Petunia continued, hand still squeezing the boy's face. This seemed to wake him up because he slipped easily from her grasp and took a step back, careful to not bump into Uncle Vernon._

" _I like my hair the way it is. Leave it alone," the boy demanded, folding his arms across his chest. Harry stiffened as silence descended on the room. Oh no, oh no! Harry wasn't the one who said it but whenever things went wrong, it was Harry who paid the price. Harry crossed his fingers and trembled in his spot. Maybe if he prayed real, real hard the boy wouldn't say anything else to maybe get them both in trouble._

" _What did you say, boy?" Uncle Vernon narrowed his little eyes until they almost disappeared in his round face. Harry held his breath and tried to scream with his mind for the boy to remain quiet._

" _Are you hard of hearing? I said I like my hair the way it is and demand it to be left alone," the boy repeated with a nasty twist to his lips. Oh. Harry felt his stomach drop to his toes and the breath he released was shaky. There went the peace._

" _You think you get to make demands in MY home!? I don't know where you were before but in this house you show RESPECT to your betters," Uncle Vernon grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him so hard Harry was sure he could hear his teeth knock together. Harry felt sorry for the boy—this supposed twin because he looked dizzy, holding onto the strong hands gripping him for support with his eyes screwed shut. It was obvious that no one had ever done such a thing to him before. He must be so scared like Harry was on his first night in the cupboard._

 _Oh. Harry blinked hard and took another step forward because he was very sure that he was very wrong. The boy's eyes snapped open and his face twisted so nastily he looked like a whole new kid. This boy wasn't scared at all. He was furious! When he spoke again, his voice was an icy hiss that sent shivers down Harry's spine._

" _I will take this as a momentary loss of mental stability but should you attempt that again nothing but the Hand of God will stop me from getting my revenge," he spat. Harry gaped at the boy, confused at why or how the boy could speak to an adult much less Uncle Vernon like that._

" _Oooouuuuu HARRY HAS GOT DIRT EVERYWHERE!" Dudley suddenly shouted. Harry's eyes snapped from his uncle and the boy to himself and the floor. It was true. He had tracked dirt from the garden to where he stood. It wasn't a lot of dirt, it really wasn't but that didn't stop his aunt from swooping down on him like a bird of prey and gripping him with her talons so hard he was sure he'd bruise. She dragged him upstairs and barely allowed his feet to touch the ground._

" _You stupid, dirty freak! We take you in and feed and clothe you and you repay us back by being a complete slob? You have ruined my floors and you'll be fixing it as soon as you bathe you piece of filth!" As she yelled, Harry tried not to let the new boy see him cry but it had to be impossible not to see the dirt that was being cleared by his salty tears. At least he was getting a bath even with impossibly cold water. She could have sprayed him with the hose which he found to be ten times worse and rather painful. He bathed quickly, scrubbing his skin and scratching the dirt out of his hair with the harsh, burning soap he was provided. It turned his skin red and itched but that would go away after a day and it left him smelling not-dirty. When he emerged his uncle was standing at the door (probably to make sure he didn't try to waste hot water on himself) and holding a clean outfit for him. He reached to take it only for the man to drop it at his feet. The usual._

" _That other freak cleaned up your mess. I should give him a sound thrashing but at least he knows his place now," Vernon grumbled, "get started on lunch. Sandwiches and cookies."_

 _Harry nodded and scrambled downstairs to see that the boy was sitting calmly on his stool with Aunt Petunia cutting his hair. At least Harry thought she was cutting his hair but the pile at her feet looked to be more than the hair on his head. There was a bit of frustration in her cuts too. Harry looked to the boy and jumped as he noticed he was being studied as well. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Harry continued his journey to the kitchen. He had to make lunch and if he did it fast enough and made a tiny bit extra than normal they may allow him what was left._

" _Maybe your scissors are too dull. Try adding some power to your cuts. No? Maybe it's magic," the boy's voice drifted into the kitchen. He laughed loudly at whatever Aunt Petunia replied with and Harry just knew her face was beet red._

" _Of course you're both freaks! Clean up this mess and go to your room," Aunt Petunia commanded._

" _I wasn't the one who made the mess so why would I clean it? You did it so you clean it." Harry very nearly dropped the plate of sandwiches and managed to not run to the scene. That boy was absolutely mad!_

" _GET IN YOUR ROOM!" Aunt Petunia shrieked._

" _Which one is it?" This caused their Aunt to let out a cruel, cruel laugh. He hated that laugh. It was the one she used before spraying him with the hose or when her son said something horrible to him or when anything bad was happening, really._

" _You think you'll be upstairs with the rest of us? Oh no. You belong right in here with your freak of a brother." Now Harry was sadder. That space barely fit him and now he had to share it with a crazy person (because there was no doubt that this boy was absolutely bonkers)!? That wasn't fair. He wouldn't complain but it still wasn't fair. Then again he wasn't sure why he hadn't thought that the boy would be sleeping with him. If he was Harry's twin then he had to be a freak just like him and freaks slept in the cupboard._

" _That kid sleeps here?"_

" _Of course he does! That's where freaks are supposed to sleep and he's a freak just like you!" Dudley chirped cheerfully._

" _So why aren't you in there? You appear to be a soft belly product of a sister-mother and father-grandfather coupling." Harry wasn't sure what that meant but it had to be something horrible because Aunt Petunia let out a wordless screech and the sound of a small body hitting the inside of the cupboard was heard. Then the lock slid into place followed by the sound of small hands banging on the door. Harry's heart clenched. Is that what he sounded like when he banged desperately at the door, scared of the almost complete darkness? He hugged the cookie jar close so as not to drop it and placed it on the counter. Harry covered his ears as soon as the cookies were safe but it did nothing to stop the boy's banging._

" _You'll learn the way things are run here soon enough boy… speaking of which BOY IS LUNCH FINISHED!?" Uncle Vernon shouted. Harry swallowed hard and wiped quickly at his eyes. If he cried, they definitely wouldn't see fit to feed him._

" _Y-yes Uncle Vernon! I made sandwiches and grabbed the cookies I baked this morning," Harry announced as the three filed in. They sat down and began to fix their plates with his hard work. Harry stood to the side, fiddling with his shirt. He didn't have any other chores today and he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to go in the cupboard where the boy still pounded but he'd be punished if he hovered._

" _Humph… that freak is trouble. I can see it in his eyes. Even more so than this one. We'll need a different approach for that monster. Here, for being better," Vernon tossed him a single sandwich and a cookie much to his surprise and delight. Harry had to choose which one to catch and obviously it was the sandwich but he was quick to scoop up the cookie and shove it in his mouth before anyone could sabotage it or yell at him. Dudley laughed loudly and he might have said something nasty but Harry felt no shame and easily ignored his cousin for this delicious food. He savoured each amazing bite with reverence and licked his fingers clean of crumbs._

" _Go to your room until it's time to prepare dinner," Aunt Petunia said as soon as he licked the last finger. Harry wanted to protest—after all the boy hadn't relented in his attacks and that scared him. What if he opened the door and the beating landed on him? Harry bit down on his tongue before he could utter a stupid word because if he complained or disobeyed they might not see it fit to feed him dinner in addition to the lunch he just had. So Harry scrambled to the cupboard and out of their sight. He paused with his hand on the latch. It was quiet now. The pounding had stopped. But why? Harry pressed his ear to the little, white door and listened as best he could. There was no sound, not even breathing. Harry cast a glance over his shoulder to where his family still ate. He was nervous but he couldn't bother any of them…_

 _With a deep breath Harry unlocked the door and threw it open as dramatically as he could to give himself some courage. It died almost immediately as he took in the sight of the boy crouched as far back as possible with his face twisted like a snarling wolf and his eyes black and hard like beetle backs. The boy looked like a lion ready to pounce._

" _Um… I…" Harry stammered, standing there awkwardly. He definitely didn't want to go in now! He'd die for sure! Harry started to back away, damn the punishments but he was stopped by the solid yet squishy body of Dudley. The boy gave him a harsh push that sent him flying into the cupboard and right into the boy's awaiting clutches._

" _Freaky freaks!" Dudley taunted. He slammed the door shut and locked it. They were immediately plunged into mostly darkness._

" _I-I'm so sorry. I—Dudley—," Harry scrambled backwards but the door was there all too soon to stop his escape. Even in the darkness he could feel the cold, black eyes follow his every movement and he suddenly felt like a frog in a jar. He wondered if the boy liked to rip their legs off like Dudley sometimes did. He really hoped the boy didn't rip_ his _legs off._

" _I was hoping you'd be that harpy. I was planning on poking out her eyes," the boy finally spoke, unfurling his fist to show off the jagged but sharp piece of wood. It was then that Harry noticed that a bit more light streamed into his… their prison. He turned his head around and spotted the missing bit of wood the exact same size as the piece in the boy's hand taken from the right corner of the cupboard door. He whipped his head back to the redhead and looked at the piece. Was he serious? Had he really planned to do such a violent, evil thing?_

" _They keep calling you boy. What's your name?" The crazy boy asked as though he hadn't said what he had. Who just said that they planned on stabbing someone's eyes out and then continued with normal conversation? Not someone with all their marbles, that's for sure. Harry pressed his back against the door and thought of banging for help or just ignoring the boy and taking his nap. Well, the first option was just stupid. No one would ever help him and the second plan… Harry eyed the red haired madman. It would do him good to not anger someone who was crazy enough to stab an adult and admit to it. Besides, he really, really didn't need another enemy. Especially not one sleeping right beside him._

" _Harry. Harry James Potter." He held out a hand. The boy looked him up and down and grabbed him with insanely cold hands and yanked Harry forward with a surprising strength. Harry struggled for only a second, scared that it was his eyes that were going to be stabbed out but then he stopped. The boy was just hugging him._

" _My pa always said you only shake hands with conmen and businessmen and the only difference between the two is the spelling," the boy said as though it was the wisest thing he's ever heard. Harry marveled at that. The boy had a dad before coming here. He wanted to ask him about this man but the boy was talking again, an angry growl to his voice, "The old man said my name is really Severus Edward Potter but he can stuff the middle name. I'll be Severus Tobias Potter."_

 _Harry wiggled in the boy's hold. He felt too awkward to hug him back and yet safe enough to not pull away. He was just tilted weirdly in his current position. Severus must have sensed this because he came out of his crouch and hugged a limp Harry to his stomach, legs on either side of him and pressed into the door. It was so small in here._

" _Have they always abused you?" Severus asked casually, poking at Harry's exposed ear with an air of curiosity. He said it so casually (did he always say weird things like they weren't weird?) that Harry almost didn't understand the question._

" _They don't beat me or touch my privates," Harry muttered into a pale arm. Sometimes he'd get a pinch or a small smack but it never hurt for long and it never bruised. He's heard of kids who had it much worse than he did, who walked around with cuts and burns, who hid under their beds when they heard their parents approaching. No, the Dursleys weren't that bad. And he was thankful for that._

" _That's not the only forms abuse take. You are obviously underfed, this is a cupboard you sleep in and the way they talk to you. I have seen dogs get treated better," Severus scoffed. Harry wanted to say that was because dogs were better than stupid freaks but he knew that his… twin… would not take well to that sentiment so he said nothing. They remained quiet for a long time, Severus holding him and Harry allowing himself to be held. He dozed a bit in the embrace so he was rather startled when the boy pushed him away gently. He blinked blearily and looked around. What was happening? Severus was crouched once again with his weapon held tight. Harry abruptly remembered the crazy boy's plan. He wasn't kidding!_

" _Please don't put their eyes out," he blurted in a hushed whisper. The door came open at the same time and Harry watched, entire body tensed as Uncle Vernon stooped to their eye level and smirked at Severus. Fingers crossed again he hoped that the boy listened to his plea. He didn't want to hurt their family. He didn't want to hurt them._

" _You need more time to learn to behave?" Uncle Vernon taunted. Severus trembled, body taunt as though he would just explode if he didn't start stabbing soon. Harry held his his breath, not willing to warn his uncle but hoping that this boy wouldn't hurt the man. Severus stiffly turned his head in Harry's direction and their eyes met for just a second then the boy fell back on his butt and shoved the shard under the blanket._

" _No, Mr. Dursley. I know how to behave," Severus sighed._

" _I thought you would say that. Now help the boy make dinner and if it's good enough you may just get to taste it," Uncle Vernon moved out of the way to allow them passage. Severus silently went into the kitchen, ignoring the stares of their Aunt and cousin. When Harry caught up Severus whirled around and clamped both hands on his shoulders. He spoke low and his eyes held Harry's captive. He was so close that Harry could see that he was wrong about the boy's eyes. They weren't black. They were a deep, warm chocolate brown that reminded him of the delicious brownies Miss Figg would make whenever he was sent over._

" _This is not right, the way they treat you or the way they will treat me. I can end this right here and now by killing them. Would you like me to kill them?"_

Harry finished the soup and ladled as much as he could into two bowls. He was doubtful that Severus would finish even half of it but there was nothing wrong with giving him the option. He found one of the breakfast trays and put their dinner on top. Then he left the kitchen and walked carefully upstairs. He would come back to clean up or maybe their aunt and cousin would come back in time to eat.

"Wake up, Sev! I got… SEV!?" The bedroom was completely empty and undisturbed. Harry felt as though all the color had drained from the world and he fell wordlessly to his knees. He knew that this had to be a dream—a fevered illusion that would have him waking up alone and sick in the cupboard. As sick as his brother had been, there was no way he had gotten up on his own so the only other conclusion was that he never existed. Tears poured down his cheeks as he stared at the empty bed. He wanted to throw the tray as hard as possible, he wanted to wreck everything in the house until only he remained but all he could do was sit there and stare at the two bowls of hot chicken noodle soup.

"What the bloody Hell is wrong with you?" A familiar voice snapped. Harry whipped his head around, color snapping back to place and heart trying to climb out his throat. There he was—looking like death warmed over as he leaned heavily on the door frame with a pouch clutched in one trembling hand. His face was twisted in confusion and a bit of exasperation as though he knew exactly where Harry's mind had gone in those seconds.

"You shouldn't be out of bed!" Harry scolded as a diversion, putting the tray on their desk. He wiped his tears away as casually as possible and took in his twin's appearance. He was red faced and sweating horribly, his chocolate eyes were glassy and it was obviously taking a lot of energy just to stand there. Harry wrapped an arm around the too skinny boy and guided him back to the bed. The bed was rather tall and large so Severus had to pull himself up while Harry pushed his bum.

"And you shouldn't be giving yourself a heart attack," Severus muttered as he made himself comfortable under the blankets. Harry blushed deeply at his foolish, irrational thoughts and went to get the tray. Once they were both settled, a bowl on each of their laps, Harry asked what his brother had been up to. In response Severus tossed him the pouch. Harry caught it one handed, surprised that it was so light despite the sound and feel of what had to be a lot of coins.

"I've been sleuthing. It occurred to me that Petunia and Vernon are horrible fiends who would never take us in for free. Vernon works five days of the week, sure, but to be able to afford this house _and_ buy Dudley all those gifts and constantly shop the way they do? It seemed odd to me. I found this under a loose floorboard. It's ours," Severus explained, popping a spoonful of the soup in his mouth. He let out a little moan, his brother was wicked good at cooking even without his help.

"Severus, I don't want to become bullies like they are. We can't steal from them," Harry whispered, placing the pouch on the bed. They were better than that, nicer than that. Severus scoffed loudly. His brother was so damn soft hearted and nice. Well, not that nice because he literally burned their uncle with hot grease and probably broke a toe or two. Severus ate a bit more before replying.

"I did not _steal_ that. They stole it! That is a magical pouch filled with Wizarding money that transforms when taken out. Look!" Severus scooped up the pouch and opened it. When he turned it upside down pounds came out instead of coins. Then he turned it right side up and shoved his arm in all the way to the shoulder. Harry knew he had an absolutely ridiculous look on his face but he couldn't help it.

"How are you doing that?" He gasped. Severus put the pounds back but as it dropped in, Harry could hear coins instead of paper. Then he handed the pouch back to Harry.

"Harry James Potter, how many times do I have to explain to you that magic is real? That pouch is laced with magic, the money inside is magic, I am magic and _you_ are magic! You're a wizard just like me," Severus brought up the bowl to drink the delicious broth. Harry's mouth moved but no words came out. He grabbed the pouch again with trembling hands, food forgotten. This wasn't really real. Severus had done a trick. He had to because magic wasn't real. He reached inside and felt coins. A lot of coins but when he pulled out a handful all that came out were pristine notes. He shoved them back in and reached as far as he could. His arm went up to his elbow and he was sure if the opening was bigger he could throw his whole body inside.

Magic was real.

This pouch was magical.

 _He_ was magical. He was a _wizard_. That explained so much!

"I… we're… are there more of us?" Harry whispered, his mind trying to wrap around what Severus had told him from the beginning. Severus's face twisted mockingly and Harry just knew his brother was about to say something mean because that was the look he gave people before something nasty jumped from his tongue so braced himself for it, tears already being pushed back. But it never came.

"Harry, there's a whole world of wizards and witches out there. There's a school we'll be invited to when we reach eleven. We don't particularly _have_ to go but I know we'll like it," Severus placed a hand on top of his. A few tears leaked from Harry's eyes and inside his soup.

"So… we're not freaks?" Harry warbled. Severus smiled brighter than he ever had in nearly a year. Careful of their soup breakfast, he pulled Harry close in a hug and laid kisses in the boy's messy hair much as his pa would do him.

"We are as normal as normal can be," he assured. Harry let out a sob, wrapping his arms awkwardly around his brother, hardly even noticing that he still had his hand inside the pouch.

TBC

I feel I should mention that I decided to not go to Hogwarts in this particular fic. I'm gonna break it down in years. This is pre Hogwarts. Why? Because I plan for each fic to be at least 10 chapters long and who wants to read a 80 chapter story?


	4. Shopping Montage

Warnings: there be some talkin about child abuse and more talks of violence

CHAPTER FOUR

Petunia entered her home in the wee hours of the morning. She had expected to see the house destroyed by two vengeful boys and said boys gone. After her fear had left, her anger soon followed as she remembered the subtle warnings from the old wizard should Harry leave their home. Only his words were subtle as a rumbling thunder colored his voice and his face hard as marble. They were, under no circumstances, allowed to let Harry to break the familial wards. She didn't really understand but it didn't matter. A sort of numb relief flooded her to see that the house wasn't trashed, in fact it had been cleaned until the only thing she could smell was pine and food. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she went in the kitchen, carefully closing the door behind herself. Her eyes caught sight of the cupboard door that she hadn't noticed was hanging off the hinges. Had it been like that yesterday morning? She pushed the question to the back of her mind and sought out the delicious smell and found it to be soup. Chicken noodle soup. There was a lid on it and three bowls set to the side with spoons. It seemed as though Harry (because Lord knew it wasn't that demonic Severus boy) thought they would return in time for dinner. Factually she knew that the soup tasted delightful but as she slowly ate it, it tasted like ash on her tongue.

Vernon had three broken toes and second degree burns along his thigh and stomach. His hand, luckily, wasn't permanently damaged and there was no brain damage from hitting his head on the table but he had a concussion. Explaining to the nurses and doctor that he had an unfortunate, freak accident had been hard but they had no choice but to believe her and Dudley. Oh her poor Dudley, she would have to make his birthday extra special this year to make up for this mess. She had sent him to Vernon's aunt house for the day and insisted she would come get him when she was sure it was safe. She swallowed the rest of the broth and wondered if they would ever truly be safe again.

Petunia put the bowl in the sink and slowly climbed the stairs, listening for those monsters who hurt her dear husband so savagely. It was quiet but she just knew they were lying their dirty little selves in the queen sized bed provided to guests who stayed the night—mostly Aunt Marge. She slipped into the bathroom with a sniff. Those freaks had another thing coming if they thought this arrangement was permanent. She would not have her home invaded by pests and then inconvenience actual human beings by having them sleep in that narrow broom closet that barely constituted at a bedroom. If anything she'd march their high and mighty little selves right in there or back in that cupboard. She showered quickly and brushed her teeth even faster. Once she finished she slipped into her bedroom, bathrobe held tightly across her frame then she fell into a deep sleep.

" _Tuney! Tuney! Look how high I can go!" Lily screamed excitedly. She bounced gracefully on the trampoline, practically soaring with arms out side and a stunning smile on her face. Petunia watched in awe and fear; Lily was too high—almost clearing their home. If she missed the trampoline there was no way she wouldn't be hurt._

" _Lily, please be careful," she called out nervously._

" _I never thought there'd be a witch in this neighborhood," a quiet voice spoke beside her. Petunia nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around. There was a boy standing right at her side. He was an ugly, dirty little thing with a nose like a bird's beak and eyes an unnatural black. His clothes were too big and he had a smudge of dirt on his cheek. And a huge black eye._

" _Who's that?" Lily shouted, losing her concentration. Petunia covered her eyes as her sister went off balanced and hurtled to the ground. A horrified scream was all she heard then it stopped. There was no thud of a body or the sound of breaking bones. Slowly, she pulled her hands away and there was her sister, hovering upside down just inches off the ground. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates and her face had lost all its color. Petunia followed her green eyed gaze to see the boy with his hand out and a concentrated look on his face. He made a sharp gesture up and Lily was righted and put on the ground gently._

" _Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lily tackled the young boy to the ground. Petunia watched his face twist in pain but he didn't push her away or tell her to at least let him sit up to be hugged properly. Petunia wiped away the hot tears she hadn't noticed fall and stomped over to the two._

" _Come on now, Lily, you'll suffocate him like that," Petunia scolded her little sister. She pulled the girl off of him then offered him a hand though she flinched just a little at just how grime covered his hand truly was._

" _I don't know how you did it but thank you… uh…" Petunia squinted at him. She knew most of the kids in the neighborhood as her family lived there their whole lives and not much changed in little towns like this but this boy eluded her._

" _My name is Severus… Snape," he introduced himself and she was glad he didn't hold out a hand to shake. Snape… Snape… there wasn't anyone she knew around them with that last name or a kid with such a strange first name. It sounded made up if she were being honest._

" _I'm Lily Evans and this is my big sister Petunia. You'll be hard pressed to find a better big sister than her," Lily beamed, pulling her into a one armed hug. Petunia blushed at the compliment even though Lily constantly lavished her with nice words and lovely descriptions to anyone who would listen. She was sure she would never be used to her sister being so nice._

" _Why don't you come inside? Our mum made some lemonade and there's plenty to share with my sister's knight. I've never seen you around," Petunia commented as she guided him inside. She subtly removed the chair cushion as the boy's clothes didn't look much better than his skin._

" _I just arrived a couple of weeks ago. I live at the end of Spinner's End," Severus replied. Petunia nearly dropped the pitcher, horror written on her face. Spinner's End!? Where that horrid Mister McDonald lives? She looked at the boy again, taking in his too skinny body and his bruised dirtiness. She bet under those baggy clothes was a body she would be horrified to see._

" _With Mr. McDonald?" Lily whispered the dreaded conclusion Petunia had already reached._

" _You know him?" Severus played with the rim of his empty glass, his eyes downcast. He must have drunk it all as soon as Petunia filled up their own glasses. Of course he was thirsty! From what she heard (from sneakily listening in to some adults) Mr. McDonald couldn't hold down a job for more than a fortnight due to his alcoholic tendencies and his horrible attitude. She's seen the man stalking around with his watery blue eyes that remained bloodshot and his greasy blond hair that looked to be cut by a blind man. He was impossibly tall in her eyes and looked like he had the strength of ten men. The fact that anyone would dare put a child in his path was disgusting and she would be talking to her mum and dad soon about it._

" _Umm… so how did you catch me like that?" Lily quickly changed the conversation. The boy brightened at that and gave his missing tooth smile. Petunia winced now that she realized I was most likely not a baby tooth that had just fallen out naturally. She'd be telling her parents right away!_

" _I'm a wizard and you're a witch! Your magic is more accidental while I concentrated to catch you but it's all magic," He said excitedly. Petunia wanted to be a little skeptical that either of them used magic but she couldn't just deny what she saw with her own eyes, what had saved her sister's life. Speaking of which, Petunia looked to her absolutely gobsmacked sister with her mouth almost to the table and her eyes big with wonder._

" _Are there others out there? Witches and wizards?" Lily whispered as though it were a big secret and maybe it was, maybe this wasn't for her to hear because she certainly didn't have magic. Severus nodded with undisguised excitement. He scrambled to his knees and leaned over, his voice a hushed whisper._

" _There's a whole WORLD of witches and wizards and schools to teach you to be a proper one. We'll both be invited to Hogwarts at eleven and you don't particular have to go but I just know you'll love it."_

"Wake. Up," a little hand shook her shoulder. Petunia groaned and squinted in the morning light. There, standing just a few inches away from her, was her baby sister with her beautiful red hair framing her pale, heart shaped face. The sun highlighted her hair like flames that would never hurt her. Oh how she loved her Lily's hair.

Petunia reached out to run her fingers through the glorious strands but she stopped short as her vision cleared. There were no joyfully twinkling emerald eyes. Instead she found herself staring into hateful pools of murky darkness. Unfeeling of anything but anger and malicious intent. She jerked her hand back. Nothing beyond his hair and facial features favored Lily. Her sister was a freak but this thing was a monster. This Severus. Just like his namesake he was the boy who ruined everything. He held her gaze captive as he backed into the reading chair, pulled closer to the bed whilst she slept, and sat down. He placed an impossibly long, impossibly sharp knife across his dangling legs. She stared at it. Where had he got that thing from? It certainly wasn't a kitchen knife. It was too big and it curved inward unlike any knife she's ever seen. Her attention was so focused on the strange blade that she almost missed the soft, almost airy voice.

"There were nights I snuck in here whilst you and Vernon slept. I would stand right there at the foot of your bed muttering spells to paralyze you. Did you know spells were once chanted? It was before wands but it still works for those with great will and desire. I have great desires to kill you and your husband. But on those nights, when I would start the paralysis process, my designs were for a quick and clean kill. I then planned to bury you in the garden. Every week for the last nine months I would stand there. I wanted so, so desperately to put an end to you and thus my misery…" Severus fiddled absently with his knife, his beaten face scrunched up in a frown. Petunia swallowed past the lump in her throat. This boy was a freak. A monster in a child's body. She wanted so badly to challenge him for she knew there was a lock on the cupboard to keep them inside like the animals they were but she also knew that this boy was a freak like his namesake. Like her sister. And like that no good husband of hers. No doubt he could break through the locks.

"As you can see I refrained from the correct course of action—you have Harry to thank for that. Can you believe that? An abused boy wants to be loved by his abusers?" Severus chuckled bitterly. Petunia swallowed again but this time she managed to speak.

"We do not abuse either of you. We took you both in. We spend our hard earned money to feed and clothe—," she ended with a squeak as the boy moved with a speed and ferocity she's only seen in wild animals to stab the curved blade deep into her nightstand.

"If you are to speak then let it not be lies!" He hissed, narrowing his fiery eyes, "You treat us like slaves and when I do not behave as you see fit, you beat me."

She wanted to protest again but her heart was pounding in her ears and it took all her strength to not faint. They never beat Harry—not once but Severus... Severus was different. Petunia bit hard on her lip and turned her head away from the two black eyes and crooked nose he now sported. This wasn't the first time she's seen bruises on his face or a limp in his walk though she's never caught her husband in the act of hitting him. But she also didn't try to catch him. Any time the boy was about to be punished, Vernon would drag him hissing and spitting into the broom closet like spare room. She would then encourage Dudley to sit outside and enjoy a nice hour with her. She never heard any cries or screams but if she listened hard enough, she was sure she could hear the sounds of something meaty striking down on something more solid or a leather belt hitting flesh. When it was over, she urged her son inside and wouldn't dare look at the cupboard with its door bolted shut or her husband who would also have a new wound of some kind.

"You are an abhorrent woman and should be disgusted with your ignominy. My pa said people like you and your husband will reap your just rewards in Hell. My ma believed that good people should help you get there faster…" Severus fingered the handle of the knife in contemplation. Like a slap, Petunia realized that she actually feared this little boy and his threats on her life. She trembled in her bed, blinded by the tears pouring down her face.

"I-I'm sor—."

"Now, now, none of that hogwash," Severus interrupted. He let go of the knife once more and it was like a different person sat in front of her. His lips shifted into a gentle smile and his eyes softened. He even started to kick his dangling legs in a gentle swing, "We are all going to start over, yeah? I do not trust you but Harry does not approve of my method to gain that trust so we will go about it his way… until it is proven futile and we proceed to my creative, colorful stratagem."

"What's Harry's way?" Petunia tried to keep her eyes off the knife, she really did but the way his long fingers kept dancing back to it kept her attention there. She knew her green eyed nephew to be a rather… was Harry kind or scared? No, if he was just scared then he wouldn't have stopped his brother from killing those who scared him. He was genuinely kind and sweet and what did she do? She tried to break him out of that freakiness that had killed her sister. No she didn't. She tried to break him. And maybe she succeeded.

"Harry doesn't want to be spoiled, apparently he's content with just being treated better than a common street dog! He and I will continue to do the cooking as yours taste like unseasoned goop. We will also take on a few, basic chores," Severus tapped the knife to his lips as though trying to remind himself of something before snapping his fingers, "More importantly, we are going to go shopping for some things such as glasses, clothes, toys and books."

"I also want you to tell Harry the truth," he continued. Petunia blinked in confusion, "That scar on Harry's forehead is not from a car accident and, had he had proper magic training, he never would have believed that idiocy. It is a protection rune drawn by someone who deeply loved him. You are going to tell us the true story behind his… our parents' deaths."

Petunia nodded silently. This monster before her was cold and clear despite the cheer that lit his beaten face. He reminded her of that damn boy—a nasty, vicious monster who lured people into his horrible world with talks of adventure and magic. Who pretended to be pathetic and helpless until he sucked up all he could. Spiteful. Evil. Monster.

"I'm glad we understand each other Mrs. Dursley and I trust you will inform Mr. Dursley and little Dudley of this change? I do not wish to resort to my plan," Severus slid off the chair and held out a clean, little hand. Petunia shook it gently, not even tempted to try to fight the boy. She saw the end result with Vernon and she was half his size. He held onto her for a few more seconds, looking into her eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was reading her mind as images of her burnt and bleeding husband jumped to the forefront of her thoughts. The boy seemed satisfied and released her limp hand. He left without a sound, gliding gracefully like death. Petunia laid back down and shut her eyes as tight as she could.

A few minutes or hours passed, she wasn't quite sure because she could not fall back to sleep without seeing those murderous eyes and that gleaming knife but there was a gentle knock on her door then the familiar, childish voice of Harry.

"Uh… Aunt Petunia? Severus made breakfast. Please come and join us?" Harry practically pleaded. Petunia felt tears come to her eyes. He was just like Lily. That girl would forgive even a murderer—had constantly forgiven her no matter how nasty she behaved towards her or how hard she pushed her away. Petunia pushed herself up but kept her back to the small boy.

"I'll be down in a minute."

Harry didn't want to blink ever again! He looked around in his new glasses, taking in the rows of glasses on the wall, the kind plump lady with pretty brown eyes hidden behind her own pair of canary yellow glasses to his amused looking brother. Even his aunt looked a little less horse like as she sat silently in the waiting chair.

"Laddie, it looks like yer eyes are just gonna pop out yer head!" The woman giggled, reaching forward to adjust them just a bit. Harry beamed at her, too happy to explain that his cousin had broken his first pair of glasses years ago and even then they weren't quite right. With these it was like a whole new world for him to see and he couldn't wait to get out of this store and see everything there was to see.

"How often should we be back for eye exams?" Severus inquired from his own seat. Unsurprisingly the boy had perfect vision so he didn't need glasses but he still showed interest in sorta new invention that was quickly becoming popular—contacts. They came in different colors and didn't necessarily need to have prescriptions to be worn. Severus spent most of the time staring at them and muttering.

"Oh I say yearly although if ya avoid unnecessary strain such as sitting ta close ta the telley, reading by dim lights 'n that sorta thing ya should be fine," the woman chirped. She packed up his glasses case, some cleaning stuff and the extra set of glasses Severus insisted he picked out. The ones he wore were simple, round spectacles that he thought looked very good on him while the other pair were much more bold. They were oval and shaded a glaring bright red that he was sure looked superb. Severus pulled a wad of pounds out his pocket and paid the nice lady with a smile of his own.

"You boys have fun!" The woman called after them as they left the shop. Harry practically vibrated as they walked to their next destination. The trees were a beautiful, vibrant green. Everyone had such beautiful faces and smiled back when he smiled at them. Their clothes caught his attention down to the buttons. Even the sidewalk was interesting with its many crack, grooves and tiny creatures.

"Harry, please pretend you weren't born blind," Severus sighed as his brother gaped at a common pigeon. Harry crouched down by the ugly grey bird and made soft cooing noises. It stared at him with its golden eyes and slowly approached, cooing back.

"I mean, I don't _think_ my vision has ever been good," Harry frowned thoughtfully. His memories after three were pretty hazy and he's pretty sure that was mostly from being unable to see clearly. He'd gotten his first glasses when he was around four and Dudley broke them in a month when he punched Harry in the face. Tape only worked so many times but that didn't matter now. Now he had two glasses! Harry gently pet the pretty bird, grinning as it leaned into his touch with its soft coos.

"That thing is dirty and can carry diseases," Severus protested from somewhere behind him. Harry looked back at his brother who seemed disgusted but not disgusted enough to yank him away or order him about which he very much appreciated. He turned back to the bird and gave it one more stroke. The bird looked at him expectantly, tilting its head side to side before it abruptly took to the air, startling a delighted Harry. The bird was so beautiful!

Harry chipperly skipped to his twin and offered a hand (the one that hadn't touched the bird for understandable reasons) to lace with his and they continued on their way. They finally reached the clothing store Severus desired and entered its air conditioned brilliance. Harry marveled at all the clothes before them—he's never seen such a big store.

"Sit," he heard his brother say firmly. Harry watched their aunt plop lifelessly down in the assigned chair and stare straight ahead like a zombie. She had been the same way in the glasses store, now that he thought about it. Severus placed the glasses bag next to her and glided away.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry whispered as he was dragged further in the store.

"She is still processing our insightful discussion," Severus muttered, standing on tiptoe to pull several different sizes of jeans down. He held them to his own legs then to Harry's either ignoring the angry look now on his brother's face or too preoccupied to see it.

"I told you I wanted to be better than them," Harry bit out. Once nightfall had descended he and Severus had a rather heated conversation about what would happen going forward. He had wondered why he thought Severus would agree to his forgive them and just try to live harmoniously. Of course he wanted revenge but Harry had been firm on what he did not want to happen. The Dursley would not be harmed unnecessarily or made into their slaves. He and Severus would not be like Dudley, spoiled beyond belief and lazy. He wanted them to be good boys that someone could be loved.

"I did not hurt her. I merely spoke to her about the new order of things and told her that only by your mercy have they not been buried in the garden," Severus hummed. Harry chewed his lip and looked again to his aunt. He imagined that even the casual 'discussion' had probably scared the skin off of her but she didn't really look scared to him. She looked sad, mostly when she didn't think he was looking. He certainly hadn't done anything to her so he wasn't sure why she looked sad about him but, maybe Severus's words held truth. He certainly didn't think Severus had ever lied to him.

"Excuse me, ma'am? We would really like to try on these clothes, please," Severus requested one of the many store girls for help. She seemed startled at his politeness and leveled him with an extremely pleased smile.

"Of course. Let me show you to the fitting rooms," she guided them to the back where little spaces shielded by curtains were set up. They tried on their clothes separately, Harry back to his excited state as the pants fit him perfectly and the shirts didn't go to his knees. He twisted in front of the mirror, admiring the red plaid against his tanned skin and the dark blue jeans. He stepped out at the same time as Severus and saw that the boy had picked out a rather brightly colored outfit for himself with a pink t-shirt that had a slap of glitter in the middle and light blue jeans.

"Sev… your hair… the pink…" Harry tried to word it as nicely as possible. Severus frowned and looked at the large wall mirror in front of him. How had he forgotten that his hair was no longer the deep, dark black he was fond of? Now his hair was red and clashed with what he thought to be the best shirt there. He pouted at his reflection then to his brother as though that would stop his hair from making a fool of him.

"I saw a really, really nice yellow version of that shirt," Harry tried to placate him.

"I'm still getting this one," Severus grumbled. Harry laughed at his suddenly silly brother and went to change back into his old clothes. He was stopped by Severus stepping in his path. Somehow his brother still managed to look menacing in his pretty clothes. "Do you honestly think we are putting those rags back on? Those things belong in the garbage and that's where they are going."

A quick detour had their current outfits paid for then they were back to shopping. It took them a little less than two hours to pick out shorts, pajamas, t-shirts, button ups, jeans, pants, trousers, socks and trainers. By the time they reached the register, Harry was no longer excited. Now he was nervous and worried. That was a lot of stuff they had gotten and the number climbed and climbed as the nice lady scanned. Once she finished Harry was close to passing out and, the voices that told him he was an ugly freak who didn't deserve anything new started. Who did he think he was to even dare to look at all these nice clothes that fit him proper? That kind of money should be spent on someone and some things more useful.

"Let's put half of it back," Harry whispered, grabbing his brother's arm. Severus raised a brow at him.

"Do you prefer for me to go naked? Because if we are to put half of it back then it will be all of _my_ things," Severus knew what was happening in his brother's head, could hear the cruel shouts just behind those big green eyes. He wanted so desperately to take his anger out on his brother's tormentors and every person who saw what was happening but did nothing to stop it. An adult should have stepped in long before Severus arrived but because they didn't he was being urged to put back _necessities._ Harry chewed roughly on his lip, looking ready to crawl out of his skin. But he did not try to stop Severus from paying the rather nosey cashier.

"You boys have a very nice day," she shouted cheerfully. Severus gave her a big smile and dragged the many bags to Petunia. He gave half of his and Harry's load to the woman and urged her to follow them. To be honest, this robot behavior she was exhibiting made Severus quite happy as he was sure that if this wasn't what she was doing then she'd be either fighting or trying to be as pathetic as possible to appeal to Harry's forgiving nature. Speaking of which, Severus looked back to his brother and had to bite his cheek to stop from wincing at the horrible feelings Harry was projecting. He had to teach the boy how to clear his mind or he was going to keep giving Severus headaches. Or maybe that was the dull throbbing in his core.

"I think it's time for a break. Let's get ice cream," Severus announced to the duo. They nodded mutely and trailed behind him in the small ice cream shop. There was a bit of a line and they waited patiently, Petunia a silent shadow with no seat to take this time.

"What can I get for you three?" A boy with dark eyes and hair asked cheerfully. It was a bit of a strained cheer and he looked tired which made sense considering all the people there and that there was only one other worker with him.

"Can I please have vanilla?" Harry asked in a quiet voice.

"Are you sure? We have lots of flavors and signature desserts," the teenager swept his hand to show off the board behind him. In neat chalk letters were an almost overwhelming amount of flavors and ice creams with things added and cakes and pies. Harry felt his mouth water at all the possibilities but he held firm and shook his head. They spent more than enough money on clothes and he was sure that his brother wanted to buy other things.

"I will take a Strawberry Shortcake Sunrise Surprise with extra Surprise," Severus chirped. Harry whipped his head to his brother and gaped at him. Severus didn't have a sweet tooth, in fact he gave any dessert he had to Harry so why'd he ordered such an extravagant sundae? He stared in question but received only a stuck out tongue in answer.

"And for you ma'am?" The teenager continued.

"Um… I would like… the Sublime Lemon Cookie," Petunia murmured.

"Okay your total is—."

"Can I change mine?" Harry blurted. He felt a blush come on as the teenager raised a teasing brow at him. "I would like the Double Brownie Blast."

"Okay that makes your total fifteen pounds even." Severus reached into his pocket as though it were natural but Aunt Petunia was much faster, shoving the notes into the teenager's hand. Then she walked off with a muttered 'keep the change'. Harry's mouth dropped in awe. His aunt has never bought him anything especially something like this.

"Thanks Aunt Petunia!" Harry voiced as he received his massive treat. The woman did not reply verbally but she gave a small nod as they exited the store and found a bench to sit on. Severus rolled his eyes at his brother's eagerness but said nothing.

They were finally at their last destination. A bookstore. Like the toy store Severus urged his brother to pick out six books—one for each birthday he missed and then an extra four for every Christmas he was locked away in his cupboard. Harry immediately dove into the kid's section with an expression almost as bright as when they were getting toys. Petunia took residence at a small table, surrounded by their labors. He, himself, walked up to the bookstore owner and looked at her with a critical eye. She was a tall, slim woman with a hooked nose, dark hair and darker eyes. A small lump settled in the back of his throat. She looked like the last time he saw his mum.

"May I help you, boy?" She asked soft as a whisper, gazing over the top of her square glasses. Severus shook his head and focused on this actual lady standing in front of him who didn't know him. Severus could feel magic, nothing magnificent like seeing auras or such things. He just had a good sense of what and who was or was not magical. It was a useless skill except when it wasn't. Such as now, with this witch.

"Yes, I would like to see your magic selection." The woman pointed a long finger to a shelf a few meters away but he already knew it was the wrong one. "No I do not want magic _tricks._ I want Hogwart: A History, Magical Drafts and Potions, Alchemy, Ancient Art and Science and some beginners books on various subjects."

"Where are your parents?" The witch quirked a delicate eyebrow at him.

"Dead but my ma and pa told me of stores like these run by people like you," Severus huffed. The witch was silent, a sort of amusement in her eyes. At least it wasn't pity.

"I am Madam Pince, owner of this bookshop and librarian of Hogwarts," The woman introduced herself as she held up the counter for him to come behind. Severus perked up at that. He hadn't thought that he would meet personnel so soon.

"I'm Severus," he bowed his head just slightly. The woman returned the gesture and pushed him gently to the back. Had he been less expectant, his mouth would have hit the floor at the rows and rows of books. It should have been impossible for a room to be so big in such a small store but, with magic, anything could happen. He watched as a couple of books drifted down to present themselves in front of him. Tears pooled in his eyes as he traced a finger across the title of the first. Magical Draughts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. It was such a simple book but undoubtedly his ma's favorite. Potions had been her worse subject in Hogwarts but then she discovered this text and it was like her mind was opened. She would sometimes joke that she read it so often that it sunk into his brain while in utero and that is why he had such a talent. Severus laughed even more at that. She hadn't even given birth to him.

No.

Severus pulled his mind far away from that line of thought as it would only lead to questions that no one around him could answer. So he focused on the lovely book in his hand. Even though he had read it a hundred times and had it read to him even more than that, he added it to the pile. It made him feel safe just looking at the cover. He looked over the shelves carefully, thinking of simple books that Harry could get started on and more advanced books he himself would enjoy. Each time he picked out a book, it would float to the pile.

"Sev? Where are you?" Harry's voice drifted from what felt like miles away.

"Madam Pince, could you allow my brother to join me? I swear to you he will cause no damages while I am around," Severus swore. The woman gave him what had to be a rare, beautiful smile and his heart stuttered in his chest for she truly did look so much like his mother.

"Oh, hello ma'am. I am looking for—oh he's back here?" Harry was asking. Severus frowned just a bit. He would have to talk to Harry about his unwavering trust in adults. But for now he was satisfied with hearing the boy gasp. He smiled wistfully as he imagined the gobsmacked look that his brother most likely adopted that would only grow more ridiculous once he realized that it was his twin behind the gentle flock of books.

"I thought there was going to be a limit," Harry croaked, trying to sound stern. Severus glanced back at his brother to see him eyeing his flock and holding his own stack of books. There looked to be mostly fantasy with one or two kiddie books which he decided not to ask about much as he had ignored the stuffed bear Harry had tried to hide in their shared pile of toys.

"I want you to have a good grasp on magic and our foreseeable future," Severus shrugged.

"Can I pick one?" Harry asked hesitantly, looking at the impossibly tall shelves

"Of course but try to avoid books that will attack," Severus neglected to say that he had one of his own but he also knew how to not lose his fingers. Harry did not venture far, looking at the titles closest to his brother before finally settling on one with a cool ball with wings on it being chased by someone on a… was that a flying broom!?

Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Harry would be interested in quidditch. He waited to see if another book would catch his attention (none did) and he quickly urge him out of the magic section. As they stepped out, the books subtly slid across the floor and piled up next to Madam Pince.

"Would you like to sign up for any newsletters?" She inquired, taking Harry's load. Harry found himself pondering just what sort of newsletters wizards and witches would have. Severus subscribed for a monthly potion journals and a weekly magazine that he thought Harry would be interested in. About something called 'Quidditch'. He requested that they both be delivered the muggle way to draw less attention and under just the letter T. Their books were paid for and then, before Harry's very eyes, shrunken with a wave of the woman's hand (and some strange word) and placed inside one paper bag. Severus was nonplussed, ushering his brother and their aunt out of the store.

"I have to drop this glamor," Severus took large gulps of air as it felt that his lungs were being squeezed and his stomach twisted at the strain he had placed on himself.

"Glamor?" Harry tilted his head. He had absolutely no idea what his brother was talking about. In answer the redhead's face was suddenly bruised once more, two black eyes and a swollen broken nose standing out on his red face. Sweat pooled on his forehead and turned his hair greasy and his eyes seemed unable to focus. Severus held onto the door handle of the car and tried not to let his body just flop bonelessly to the ground. Harry let out a loud yelp that did nothing but antagonized the roaring headache trying to split his brain in two.

"Should we take him to hospital?" Petunia asked. Severus shook his head and the world shook back. He blinked to try to right it but all that accomplished was a blurred mess. He looked up at the wavering face that seemed much longer than normal.

"No… just… home."

Then it was dark.

TBC

It occurred to me that I might know nothin about nothin about children. All my knowledge stems from like animes and Matilda. By the way thank you for the follows and reviews. I feel like a movie star! I swoon every time there's something new.


	5. The Apology

Chapter FICE

Harry felt like a bad brother. A stupid, stupid freak! His brother—his _twin_ brother—was hurting and sick and all messed up and he hadn't even taken the time to notice. Hours ago he had just thought it was a miracle when he woke up to a quietly chipper Severus who attacked him with kisses all over his face (a phenomenon that _never_ happened but one he very much liked) as his alarm clock and invited him downstairs for breakfast. Severus spent the first minutes getting Harry excited then spent a couple more encouraging that excitement with all the things they would do, all the things they needed and would get until Harry almost fell clean out of his chair. It didn't occur to him back then (stupid, blind idiot!) that all signs of sickness and bruises had just disappeared without a trace. Stupid! Stupid!

This was all his fault! Now look at Severus. On a bed that he barely made a dent in, under covers that would surely smother him if they weren't careful and talking nonsense. Mostly he sang weird songs set to familiar tunes. But sometimes he would get really serious and he'd talk to someone only he could see. Harry hated it. He hated the way his face would twist up like a monstrous beast, he hated the weird questions he would shout but most of all he hated when Severus would cry.

"Hide, hide, hide away! Make sure that you're safe. Bide your time, make sure to hide until you know it's safe!" Severus slurred what had to be his favorite song for this was the fifth time he's sung it. And like all the other times he burrowed under the heavy blankets.

"Sev, no!" Harry pushed away his tears. He couldn't stand around feeling sorry for himself. Severus absolutely needed him and was completely defenseless at the moment, something he knew would have angered the boy if he was in his right mind. Harry lifted the covers slowly so as to not startle the boy and peeked inside, expecting a crooked smile to greet him and a clumsy smack that was probably supposed to be a pet of affection, but he was greeted with large, dark eyes and a strong grip that pulled him under the covers.

"Are you insane? Be quiet!" Severus whispered, "He's coming. He's found us."

"Sev, nobody has found you. Nobody is coming," Harry pressed their foreheads together, whimpering at the heat that nearly burned him. He closed his eyes and begged all those listening to make his brother better. Severus gripped his cheeks, forcing Harry to look at him again. Somehow, in this almost darkness, Severus's eyes glowed with urgency.

"He is _always_ coming. He will never give up until we're all dead. He'll send his spies and his lackeys and his monsters until me, pa, and ma are all… all…" Severus trailed off as he lost that train of thought and Harry took that as his cue to continue his treatment. His batty twin wasn't well. The black haired boy threw back the covers and pulled the other boy up to the pillows properly. Severus wiggled weakly in his hold but let out a sigh of relief once Harry placed a cool, damp rag on the top of his head. From there he sank silently into the pillows, eyes fluttering closed. That was good. No more weirdness.

There was a small knock on their door, one small enough knock to not disturb the sick redhead, before their aunt cautiously stuck her head in. She looked around and caught Harry's green eyed gaze but didn't step inside yet. He didn't blame her, not really. The first time she came in Severus had completely freaked and started to scream that she was an enemy and everything around the room had started to fly around as weapons directed towards her and Severus tried to jump from the window—it was a big mess.

"I think he's asleep," Harry whispered after the boy made no attempt to open his eyes. Aunt Petunia didn't budge. Understandable.

"I um, I brought some medicine," she held it out as though it were a bomb waiting to go off. Harry stared up at his aunt's face. He wanted to trust her, he really did but Severus didn't trust her and said so almost constantly. Severus would be _furious_ with him for putting something in his body that had been provided by any Dursley. Then again she had looked concerned about Severus, had carried him up and stripped him to his underwear but still… he would wait until Severus was more lucid to offer him the medicine. He still thanked her though and accepted the bag to put on their bedside dresser.

"Severus said, before he was sick and all, that you had something you wanted to tell me. About my… our mum and dad," Harry decided to say, uncomfortable with the way she hovered at the door and simply stared. He hoped she wouldn't get any ideas of attacking Severus because he would stop her… by any means necessary. Any. Means.

Finally, after what felt like a century, the thin woman stepped into the room fully, avoiding the bags Harry hadn't organized yet, and taking residence at the desk, quite a bit away from them. She sat with her hands on her lap, twiddling with her fingers and chewing on her lips. Harry busied himself with dipping Severus's cloth again and placing it back on his hot forehead, pleased at the hum of appreciation.

"Being around all those freaks and their freaky magic ways killed my sister," She blurted, eyes wide and angry, "it started with that ugly little boy down the street—the one _he's_ named after." She gave Severus a small glare that he was unaware of but would have ignored if he had been. "He introduced her to magic, started to teach her to control it then took her away to that horrid school. Ruined my life, that did. I was alone without her. And I hated her for it. I hated magic for it. I hated _you_ for it. But… she was so happy there. She loved that school and her magic. She would write weekly and send back odd treats she made us promise to keep secret. She sent pictures and some of them moved. Then she met a man. Jeffrey or something. Fell in love. They married right out of school—I didn't attend her wedding, I had long stopped speaking to her. She didn't attend mine because I didn't invite her. Then one day, one day out of the blue she just _appeared_ on my doorstep. She looked absolutely horrid but, of course, still very pretty…"

 _Petunia was feeling quite pleased with herself as she held what had to be the most adorable baby she had ever set eyes upon. And he was all hers. She rubbed a finger down his delicate cheek and he sighed, sleepily grabbing onto it. She squealed quietly—she loved when he did that! Oh she couldn't wait for his first words, his first time walking, his first time on a bicycle! She was going to raise him to be a right proper boy who knew his worth and treated girls right._

 _Knock, knock! Someone was at the door. Oh, it was probably flowers from Vernon. Her husband sometimes sent her gifts during his long hours at work with sweet little notes. She opened the door with a smile and nearly slammed it back again as she took in the sight of not a gifting bearing man but her heavily pregnant sister. Even after years of not seeing her, she knew Lily when she saw her. Lily stood on her doorstep in one of those designer maternity dresses that celebrities wore, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Lily looked stunning. But she also looked very tired and as though she had lost some weight despite the huge belly that said she shouldn't be. Her lips were chapped and she looked much paler than normal._

" _Hello Tuney," she grinned, her voice as soft as a whisper. Lily started to look her up and down but she seemed to be stuck on the bundle she held in a loose but sure grasp. Almost immediately it felt like Petunia's heart was trying to pound a tattoo into her ribs. She was sure magic didn't work this way but still she pulled her new baby out of the green eyed gaze just in case they tried to make her baby abandon her too. She wouldn't lose her Dudley to freaky people in a freaky school set in a freaky world._

" _What are you doing here?" Petunia demanded. She should just slam the door shut already._

" _You haven't answered a single letter of mine. You didn't even come to mum and dad's funeral," Lily accused. Petunia stamped down any guilt that she might have felt. Of course she hadn't gone to their funeral. While they were ever so pleased with Lily and every perfect little thing that she did, they had practically spat on Vernon and their relationship. They claimed it was because Vernon was ten years her senior. They claimed it was because her husband had asked her to drop out of medical school but she knew the truth. It was because she wasn't a freak like her sister, wasn't as pretty as her sister—didn't marry some spoiled brat born into money! No, she married a hard working man and now had a beautiful son and a home to show for it. She was loved and happy and they hated that so they could just rot right in their graves._

" _I was busy. What do you want Lily?" Petunia demanded harshly._

" _Do you mind inviting me in? These babies are killing me," Lily rubbed at her large belly._

" _Babies?" Petunia half asked. She peeked her head into the summer air. Some of her neighbors were outside (or subtly peeking through their windows), not paying attention to them. Or so it looked. She knew suburbia curiosity and rumor mill. If she slammed the door in her heavily pregnant sister's face they would tear her apart in that polite society way. Her Dudley would be a pariah among their children and her reputation would consist of nothing but that lady who abused a pregnant woman. They would have to move and that just wouldn't do. Hastily, Petunia grabbed the thin arm and yanked her inside, guiding her to the soft couch she had just purchased._

" _Yeah. I'm having twins," Lily sighed in relief once she sat. Petunia bristled at the news. Of course perfect Lily was going to have two kids while Petunia had one. Always having to be better. Lily didn't see the angry jealousy descending on her features for her eyes never left her own belly. She rubbed it softly, her fingers just barely grazing the cloth of her dress as if her belly were a delicate egg that would shatter from even a firm graze._

" _One baby is so much smaller than the other and my health is declining. They just don't think all three of us are going to make it. I'm supposed to be on bed rest right now but if I spend one more second under James' stupid watchful eye or hear about how I'm not supposed to bend my toes this way or that…" Lily gritted her teeth. Petunia hated her sister, hated being less than she was but she couldn't help the small wash of relief that the flames hadn't been doused from her just yet. Something close to worry had been bubbling at her conscience when she saw that sad woman on her doorstep._

" _I am sorry to hear that..." A strange feeling twisted in her gut at the mean, unflattering thoughts that coursed through her every second she spent in her sister's presence. She didn't know how she would react had she been told she might lose her life or lose her baby. She, of course, would save Dudley over and over again. No doubt about it. But sometimes choices were taken away, sometimes life wasn't fair._

" _I hope everything will be fine. I hope all three of us spend even a second together but that's not why I came here. I..." Lily trailed off then continued firmly, "I love you, Tuney. I love you with all my heart. You are the only living family I have left and, should anything happen to me, I want you to know that I never stopped loving you. Not even for a second."_

" _Lily, why are you saying that? You're scaring me," Petunia murmured, rocking Dudley for more her comfort than anything else. Lily gave her the most brilliant smile and reached over to lay a delicate hand on her knee. The smile did not make her feel even slightly better, it just made fear tighten her chest even more._

" _This isn't meant to scare you. I just wanted you to know before… things are not well in the Wizarding world. There are some very bad people doing very bad things and I have to help stop them anyway I can. I thought I would see you before I go into a bit of hiding and make sure you're alright."_

" _If you're in trouble you know you can stay with us as long as you need. There's no sense in mothers fighting especially with those dangerous magic spells!" Petunia protested even though she knew it would fall on deaf ears. Lily was a stubborn, kind, smart, brave, stupid girl._

" _You know I can't do that. I need to make sure the world is safe for my babies, for your babies, for everyone's babies," Lily carefully caressed the bundle in her grasp before pushing herself to her feet. "May I use your loo? It's like these boys are tap dancing on my bladder."_

"She stayed and we talked about nothing really until Vernon was close to coming home then she left. A year and a bit later an old man came knocking on our door with you in a basket. He told me her husband had died trying to stop a madman dark wizard. Lily followed by protecting you," Petunia finished up. It was like a weight had settled on her, heavier than any guilt she could ever express verbally. Her sister had warned her of her upcoming demise, had expressed her love and she repaid it by tormenting her son. She was no better than McDonald slapping around that Snape kid. She didn't dare look at Harry, didn't think she could see her sister's eyes and not have this horrible weight crush her into dust. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture she had searched long and hard for. There was a whole bunch she had hidden away but she would find them later. This picture she never quite had the time to hide away or destroy. It was of Lily's wedding day, the two of them caught off guard for a single moment, just looking at each other.

"I wuz wonderin' 'bout these protecshiionsss all over housh. Lily must've… must've drew them," the monster was awake. Petunia belatedly realized that Severus was the sickly twin, the one Lily feared would die but if he survived then why had they both not been sent here? Why wasn't he in the few pictures Lily had sent? Why had no one mentioned him in all this time?

"Oh, Sev… um…" Harry tried to blink away his tears but it was no use. His dad wasn't some drunk who killed his mum in a car accident and scarred him permanently. His mom was a beautiful witch with brilliant red hair like Severus's and bright green eyes like his own. She was amazing. And the man that sat beside her. He was handsome and looked a lot like Harry did—wore glasses much like this and had the same messy mop on his head. They weren't freaks. They were brave, brave people who loved him enough to save his life.

"Wow… she iz boootiful Harry! And smart. These runez wood make my ma swooon," Severus giggled as Harry turned the picture for him to see. Some of the happiness seeped out of Harry as he heard the weird gibberish coming from Severus once more.

"Severus, you're really sick. You need hospital," Harry sighed, pushing back the sweaty hair clinging to his twin's forehead. Severus scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue childishly.

"No. I just… magic isn't perfect and I'm just a kid… just need lots and lots of rest and maybe some potions?" Severus sounded hopeful. Harry grabbed the brown bag his aunt had provided and presented it to his brother. The boy popped the lid with some difficulties and took a whiff. He glared balefully at his twin as though he had been betrayed but took a mouthful anyway. "Muggle potion… tastes like right shit but it'll do the job. I canna wait to show you… real… potions..:"

It was almost two in the morning when his fever broke and he was more lucid. He looked around their room bathed in a soft light—the nightlight. Harry had been hesitant to grab it, thought that the teddy bears were already not age appropriate but Severus insisted. He even lied and said that he would benefit too but it was a lie. Darkness was Severus's friend, it hid him when he needed to hide and soothed any hurts he had gotten the day before. But he knew it was different for Harry. Darkness had been used as a punishment for Harry. It was used to hurt him.

So the nightlight was bought and Harry was all the safer for it. He looked to the boy to see him all curled up half on the bed and half in a chair pulled from the dining room. This bed was five times their size, there was no reason for him to not share it but Harry was silly like that.

Severus pulled the now lukewarm cloth from his forehead and sat up slowly with only a slight wince. Now up he did a health check on himself, stretching out his fingers and toes and pressing along his limbs and gently into his face. His entire face hurt, that much was for sure. The swelling in his nose had only decreased somewhat and it was most definitely not set perfectly. It would be crooked if he didn't get it fixed in enough time but as long as he could breathe, Severus found he didn't care all that much. His core, deep down inside himself pounded very crossly at him. It was his fault for using so much magic especially something as complex as a glamor but he really didn't need people staring at them while they shopped or some Good Samaritan who would rang up the constables. He also noted a headache that seemed very persistent, again from exerting himself with magic. Finally, he came to the most immediate and important thing that he could actually fix: he was hungry.

Severus carefully shimmied out of the large bed, standing still until the dizzy spell retreated. Memories that were hazy yet very clear attacked him. Harry had spent all of this time by his side, taking care of him. He tried to bring down his fever with cold rags, listened to the mad rants he spouted and fed him bits of soup and medicine when he would cooperate. His brother was a good brother. He gave the boy a pat on the head and crept silently through the dark house.

Severus really hoped that Harry didn't ask about the ranting and raving or the songs he had sung. Severus loved his ma and pa but there was a reason he never had a permanent name or a permanent home. There was a reason he knew how to hurt people and he didn't want to know what the boy would think about those reasons. He would rather keep the nicer lessons his ma and pa taught him at the surface and all the more wicked stuff pushed deep down unless needed.

"I thought you'd be hungry," a voice spoke in the dark then a flood of light blinded him momentarily. Severus didn't flinch or act as surprised as he felt. He simply blinked at the woman sagged against the wall, hand still on the light switch.

"It's late," he said, giving her a wide berth on his way to the kitchen. In a normal world with parents who loved him but didn't give him every single thing he wanted even when they had the means to do so Severus had quickly learned to pick the battles he could win. So when he saw an expensive set of books, he would point it out and be denied but what about this new stirrer? It was superior to the one rusting in his cauldron and would produce stronger potions—and it's on sale! It was one of the more fun systems he had in place with his parents.

This world he was in now, though, wasn't normal. It was filled with monsters who would hurt children they were suppose to care for, starve children they were supposed to feed… so, in this world, he fought with every breath he took in any way he could and he didn't relent. Until now. Things were a little calmer. This woman no longer had such disgusting hatred in her eyes and he was too weak to fight. Even now that he felt better than earlier his limbs still shook. One false move would have him bed bound so he could pick another battle to fight. Just this time.

"Yes, it is but I couldn't sleep. I… I am sorry," Petunia breathed out. Severus held back his doubtful scoff and focused on making a sandwich with a bit of fruit on the side. When he finished, he sat at the table for the first time since arriving here. Had he not seen it, he never would have believed that there were people who forced their nephews to eat like a dog on the floor and never with utensils. The only saving grace is that they were permitted clean hands. Petunia took a shaky breath and spoke again. "Severus, I am so sorry."

Severus observed her for a moment, staring deep into her muddy brown eyes. He could feel it, her fear of him. It was like cold tendrils curling in the corner of her eyeballs. She was scared of him. Severus scoffed. He's never laid a hand on her and yet she was the one who was scared? Scared enough to spout this stupidity?

"Have you been thinking about the garden?" Severus countered. He hid a grin at her flinch. He shouldn't like this fear he inspired but he did. At least from her. He was meant to scare people like her.

"I am sorry," she said again.

"No, you are not. You are intimidated. That is not the same as remorse, neither is your pathetic guilt."

"I am sorry." Why did she continue to lie? He hated being lied to right to his face. It meant that the person thought he was a gullible idiot.

"You are not." He frowned.

"I am sorry."

"STOP IT!" He roared, slamming his hands on the table. The house shook with his sudden fury, the lights flashed erratically around them as he glared at his former tormentor. She grasped at her neck, pulling in desperate breaths as though someone were choking her. He could almost see it, invisible hands pressing around her throat and he wanted nothing more than to kill her.

"I… am… sorry." Still she gasped out. She was still doing it! She was still lying to his face!

"LIAR!" He would snatch her tongue out of her skull and make her eat it! He would slit her from chin to navel! He would make a dozen potions with her bloody bones!

"Severus! STOP IT!" Harry was there now, hugging onto his leg and trying to pull him down, down, down. He hadn't realized that he had climbed onto the floating table and more importantly the lying wench who wouldn't stop looking him in the eyes and lying! Lying. Lying. Lying!

"Sevvie. Sevvie… please stop. Not for her but for me. And yourself. You're hurting yourself. Please, please stop," Harry sobbed, nails digging into his legs as he tried to calm him. Severus felt the pain bring him back to his right mind, felt himself become calm like his ma exuded even when she was anything but. He pulled his magic back inside, biting hard on his tongue when some of it tried to refuse him. Soon, the house settled.

Petunia crumbled, gulping air desperately. Severus fell hard to his knees but didn't have time to fix himself for Harry dragged him from the table and onto the floor. He tried to push the other boy away so that he could stand but Harry just held on tighter.

"No!" Harry shook his head hard in the crook of his neck, "You can't do that anymore! You can't hurt yourself! I won't let you."

"Harry…" Severus sighed, running his fingers through the wild, black hair. His throat itched and the dull throbbing he had felt in his core was now a painful squeeze and he could feel his fever coming back. He really did mess up this time. "Harry, I promise I won't do that again. I promise."

"I am sorry."

Severus took a deep breath and willed himself to behave in front of his twin, in front of the only thing that spared this she devil and this whole godforsaken family. He wouldn't lose control like that ever again if it turned this boy he cherished into a crying mess.

"This penitence you are feeling, this _shame_? It is but a passing fancy. Will it last until you are redeemed or will it disappear like a thief in the night as soon as your dear husband has recovered?" Severus pushed at Harry until the boy reluctantly stood. With Harry clinging to one hand, Severus gathered up the rest of his dinner to eat upstairs. He caught Harry's eyes and tried a grin to wipe away that sadness and fear but Harry just held his hand tighter. A lump formed in his throat. He wasn't meant to scare Harry.

Before they fully left the dining room Severus cast one, final glare at the woman who stood there firm and dry eyed now. It was her fault Harry saw him like that. It was her fault he ever had to be like that. But she didn't flinch. Instead, she uttered that stupid, stupid lie.

"I'm sorry."

TBC

Wow. That was wild but are we surprised? I wasn't.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and my fiery, crafty Lily. See y'all (hopefully) next week.


	6. From Dudders Eyes

Canon? Never heard of her.

Read the warnings!

Warnings: racist racism, homophobia, slurs, the usual violence

Chapter six

Dudley had known his entire life what was right and what was wrong. He knew that there were the top people who deserved and got anything and everything they wanted and then there were the bottom freaks who were nothing more than stepping stones on the way up or so low that they didn't even count as stepping stones—more like just the floor.

Dudley and his dad were top, deserving people. His ma wasn't quite a stepping stone because she was of proper stock but she was still a woman and that meant she couldn't be all the way on top. Someone who was a stepping stone was someone like Harry. And sometimes people needed to be reminded that they weren't worth much so he, a top alpha sorta lad, surrounded himself with other lads like that and they would step on anyone who forgot their place. Or just because it was his right to do so. Which it was.

All his life, every day of every year it was like that until mid-September 1987. He was seven years old by then (and had gotten a hundred presents for being so amazing)—Harry was seven by then too but nobody cared about that ugly freak so it was just another day. Well, Dudley thought that Harry might have gotten less chores that day and maybe a quick pop over to that weird old lady across the street. She gave Dudley the creeps.

But back to the infamous month of September. The beginning had been fine. They were back in school, starting a new year of all of Dudley's favorite school activities: beating up stepping stones, looking at Harry's work (even though he knew his cousin was an idiot who could barely see much less read) and chasing Harry around to beat him up (different from beating up other kids because those kids would sneak on him and Harry wouldn't) or just tease him until he cried. Harry cried a lot but only when Dudley's parents weren't around.

So yeah, September was going great until midway through when some old foggy brought along The Boy.

The old foggy was definitely a freak too (Dudley had a good sense for freaks) but he wasn't a stepping stone which Dudley found odd. He could see it in those twinkling blue eyes just how much of a top dog the old foggy was especially when he looked down his nose at Dudley and, for a moment, Dudley had felt like the freaky stepping stone. Immediately he knew that he didn't like the freaky top dog. He messed with the order of things too much for Dudley to handle but he only stayed long enough to drop off The Boy, probably never to darken their doorsteps again… unless it turned out Harry had more siblings floating around out there. Considering that his dad said that Harry's mum was a slag it could very well be true.

His dad knew a lot about people. Like how Mrs. Nyongo and her husband (both teachers) were foreign monkeys who didn't have a right to try to fail him or how Mr. Nguyen was a chinky eyed faggot who probably touched little boys and that's why he wanted to fail Dudley too. His dad had quite the stern talking to with all three of them and the dean and made sure that they knew he wouldn't let their jealousy keep Dudley from being great.

But that was off subject.

The Boy the old foggy had put in their care was said to be Harry's twin even though he didn't look much like Harry. He was small like him, sure. But he was pale, very pale instead of tan. And his hair was touching his shoulder blades and it was a pretty shade of red instead of the messy, short black mop on Harry's head. Lastly, he didn't act like Harry who knew he was and behaved like a stepping stone. On his very first day there The Boy was causing trouble—back talking and being nasty! His dad had been quick to shake that right out of him and The Boy knew his place.

But he didn't.

When they went to school the next day the boy had gone to the only spot available—the one right in the middle and very first row. That wasn't bad. But what was was that he saw where Harry was sitting and immediately got out of his chair to pull Harry to the front. Dudley wasn't going to have that of course!

"He sits here," Dudley had said, grabbing Harry's twig like arm.

"I will break that hand," The Boy had hissed and the way his eyes burned and his whole face twisted made Dudley know he was serious. So he had let go. It didn't matter because his friend Frankie sat in the front of the class where The Boy was pulling Harry. Except that it did matter because after some whispering Frankie got up and took Harry's former spot.

That was odd and to the present day Frankie still wouldn't tell him what The Boy had said to make him move. But that had got Dudley's brain churning and it tried to convince him that maybe this boy wasn't really a stepping stone but his dad was never wrong about anybody. Besides after that shaking The Boy had done the cooking and cleaning with Harry _and_ he had sat on the floor, eating with his hands like the dirty freak he was.

The only logical conclusion was that The Boy was only acting better than what he truly was because there weren't any proper top dogs around. They were being taught by some rag wearing cunt. Never mind, Dudley planned to drive his dad's lessons in permanently on the playground. It would be the easiest thing he's done so far—it was him, Frankie, and Bart after all. Three big, alpha boys against two little pipsqueak freaks.

Harry and The Boy had been sitting on a bench (that would become their usual spots soon) with a bunch of books out. Harry, despite being practically blind, had spotted them across the yard and tried to run but Dudley could see The Boy stop him. Harry tried to run again when they were in spitting distance and was stopped by The Boy again.

"We do not run from filth, we throw it out," the boy had said. Harry and Dudley had froze in shock. No one had ever called him anything bad really and definitely not filth and now here was this freak of nature saying just that about him and his friends. And that made Dudley angry. He stomped the rest of the way and was satisfied that The Boy jumped to his feet and was nothing but a tiny freak who had to tilt his head back to look him in the eye.

"Who you calling filth? You're a freak who sleeps in a cupboard," Dudley had taunted and he had thought it was a good one even though he gave a speedy glance around to make sure no adults were around. He wasn't quite sure why he wasn't supposed to go around spouting about how freaks were dealt with but if his dad said not to then he'd keep it between the freaks and his friends.

"Only because you can't fit," The Boy had shot back. Dudley's friends had giggled at that and he felt his face become hot. He shook with how mad he was. He wasn't fat! He was just allowed to eat unlike some people who weren't even allowed scraps and if they weren't they couldn't dirty up their utensils because only civilized people got to use those.

"Your mum is a dead slag!"

It was the worse thing he could have said about aunt Lily and he knew it as soon as it had left his mouth. The Boy was still for only a second as though he wasn't sure he had heard Dudley then he punched him. The first hit felt like an explosion right in the center of his face. The second one like his jaw had had found a new home in his brain. Then it was just a flurry of pain—a knee sinking into his stomach, a foot cracking into his ankle, _teeth_ shining in his rapidly disappearing vision and claws trying to rip his hair out. If it wasn't for the accounts of his friends he would have sworn on his grandmother's grave that he was being jumped by three professional boxers and at least one rabid dog. His friends did claim that not even five kids could stop the beating. They had to get two fully grown, male teachers to pull the raving lunatic—the _monster—_ off of him.

And that's actually what that freak was. A rabid _monster_ He was a monster who ruined everything and had hurt Dudley worse than he ever been hurt. He had a dislocated knee, a snapped ankle, a broken nose and he lost three teeth (thankfully not any full grown ones). The doctors even said that the scratches on his collar bone would definitely be permanent no matter what they did.

The only good thing to come outta that has been his dad really (rightfully) laying into that monster as soon as he got home. But that rabid monster was crazy enough to fight him too! He wasn't as successful because his dad was a big, alpha who was stronger than some puny freak but he still caught the strap on its third descent. He had caught it and wrapped it around his fist like some loon whose done it plenty of times. It was absolute mayhem from there. Dudley had watched, frozen and wide eyed, as the monster used furniture to literally _jump_ onto his dad and punch him in the face with his free hand yanking his hair. Blood had exploded from his dad's face with just two belt punches and Dudley had been really scared. But mum walked through the door in that next instant and yanked the monster so hard that he smacked his head and, just like that, he was asleep. Then they locked him in the leaky shed out back for four days. Dudley suggested they keep him there forever but Harry had started to cry and the school had started to ask questions. So his mum and dad pulled him out. Dudley was sure that the monster was dead, he didn't move and he smelled to the heavens like piss and shit—just like he deserved! That damn monster!

Dudley thought it would be better from there. He really did. The monster had been defeated and he'd turn back into a regular freaky boy who needed a good stepping every now and again but he didn't. The monster fought back literally _every_ day, just not as rabidly as the first time. He fought back with words, with actions, by being mean and nasty and by being the very best in class. Dudley didn't understand that he was fighting by doing that—not at first. But then, a month later, he heard him talking to Harry at their desk.

"Harry, you know the answers. Just because that pile of dung doesn't… yes, I know he needs to feel smart…" They had been talking about Dudley. Did that mean that Harry was faking not knowing the answers? Did he purposely aim low so that Dudley came out on top? Then that meant when the monster aimed high, higher than everyone and received praise from the teachers and was asked to tutor those less smart… that the monster was using knowledge as a weapon.

After that Dudley knew that this monster would never give up. Even if his dad managed to beat him into not talking back, starve him into being more gentle, or make him as dirty as dirt he knew that this monster would just find another way to fight. But he had also known that it wouldn't come to that. His mum didn't want him to know what his dad did to the monster but of course he knew. He wasn't stupid or anything. He saw the aftermath and, one time, his dad had tried to make him join in. He couldn't, not with those eyes promising revenge. And that's what he was talking about. Those eyes. Those evil eyes. Every day he saw them become wilder and wilder and he had known something was going to happen. He could tell that this monster was reaching a breaking point that would make him worse than a monster.

And then it happened. June 6th: Saturday morning. It had started like any other morning…

Dudley had awakened hungry, stomach twisting and he went to wake the freaks for breakfast. He had heard them talking, knew that the monster was telling one of his stupid fairytales and, usually, he listened in because the monster was sorta creative but he was too hungry and he wanted breakfast right then and now so he did what he usually did to wake them up. He stomped on every stair going down and screamed at the top of his lungs. It was all in good fun and he had been laughing merrily at his actions until the monster burst from the cupboard, knocking it from the hinges and descended on him. The monster didn't hit him but he spoke words of fire and choked his brain with smoke.

"You are but an insignificant, bumbling idiot who was not graced by God but cursed by the Devil. There are two paths set before you, Dudley Dursley. You will either see that you are a rabid animal that can attempt to change its ways and become something close to acceptable. Or I will kill you. I will do it slowly. As slowly as my patience will allow and, as we both know I. Am. Very. Patient. I will watch with uncaring eyes as you drown pathetically in your own vomit and blood. I will listen with deaf ears as you plead for mercy. Once you have taken your last, useless breath I will bury you deep in the garden and pray that you don't poison the plants with your subpar corpse. No one will miss you. Not the children you bully. Not the teachers you disappoint. And most certainly not your parents who will be right on your heels in your descent to Hell. Choose. Wisely."

Dudley hadn't been very hungry after that. In fact, he felt quite sick. Things happened after that. His mum had tried to talk to him but how could he say anything? He knew she was worried. He knew she confronted the monster and he wanted to stop her before he did the same thing to her but he could only stare into space. Then his dad was storming about. And roaring, trying to defeat the monster but it was useless. The monster had snapped. The breaking point had been caused by him interrupting one of those stupid fairytales. And now the monster was a dragon. A fierce, fire breathing dragon with hard scales, fierce claws and smoky words.

What else explained the way his dad was laid up in hospital?

"Hello, Dudley. I am Christina Williams. I am with NSPCC… do you know what that is?" A woman was in front of him. He was in a little office. He felt the fog fall away. Enough to see the woman. She had the hair of nasty savages who didn't wash up: dreadlocks they called them. They were long and piled atop her head like dirty vines. Her skin was also mud dark. She smiled shiny, big lips to present big teeth with a gap in the middle. But her eyes were kind. And slanty like she was Chinese or something but he didn't think Chinese people had kids with monkeys. They were too smart for that.

"Dudley?" She prompted gently.

"What?" He snapped, pulling away from the hand that reached out. Then he recalled her question, "you work with those people that take kids away."

"Only if we have cause to believe that they are being mistreated. I am here because the doctors believe what happened to your father was not an accident and are concerned for your safety," the woman explained.

"My mum and dad treat me great cause I'm not a freak. I'm normal and deserve to be treated great," Dudley rolled his eyes. To think his mum would do that to his dad and not that monster-dragon was absolutely mental.

"Not a freak… can you give me an example of who is a freak?" Christina asked.

"My cousins are freaks," he replied easily.

"How do you know that?"

"My dad said so and he's always right about people." Dudley puffed out his chest proudly.

"How are freaks treated?"

"I'm not supposed to say." Now Dudley was suspicious. This woman obviously fell in the lower than stepping stones area just going off her appearance but she was also an adult who could tell a proper adult who could get his dad in trouble. He still wasn't sure why he would get in trouble—if Harry and the dragon-monster were freaks then they deserved what they got! But he was a smart boy who listened to his dad.

"It is okay to tell me Dudley. Whatever you say will not be repeated to either of your parents. No one will ever know."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Well, Dudley I am here to help those who need help. I will not force you to tell me but I do sense that maybe you want to tell me. It's a big secret to keep, I can tell." Well, she hadn't been wrong. He was always bursting to tell people about the good work his dad and mum did keeping freaks in line. His dad was certainly proud anytime he pulled the dragon-monster from the spare bedroom all limp and docile.

"Well… freaks don't get to eat at the table and they mostly get scraps. Freaks get cold baths or none at all. Freaks do all the housework. Freaks sleep in little spaces under the stairs. Monsters get beatings."

"Oh…" if Christina were a normal color, Dudley had the distinct feeling that she would be green. "And you say your cousins are freaks and monsters? Do they live with you?"

Dudley nodded then shook his head. "Harry isn't a monster because he knows that he's a freak and he acts like one. He _never_ talks back or does stuff wrong even if he's punished for something. It's his twin that's the monster. He always talks back and is mean and always trying to fight even though my dad is stronger than him." Dudley tried to crane his neck far enough to see just what the ugly woman was writing in that little notebook of hers but he was unsuccessful. She slammed it closed and stood up, urging him to do the same.

"Thank you for speaking with me Dudley, I am sure you would like to be with your father now. I wish him a speedy recovery." Dudley rolled his eyes at her useless wishes and walked to his mother who stood anxiously down the hall by his father's hospital room. She immediately latched on to him, turning his face this way and that as though he had been the one attacked. He rather liked the attention so he didn't pull away even when she grabbed him by the hand and started to pull him out of the large building.

"Let's go, Dudders. You're going to stay at your Aunt Marge's home until I am sure it's safe to come back," his mum said with a hard lean to her jaw. Dudley wanted to complain because Aunt Marge and her dog were the same person and he would swear to it. They both smelled funny, they both were always chewing on one thing or another and they both liked to slobber all over him. But the dragon-monster and Harry were at home and there was no telling what those loonies were up to!

"Why don't you stay too, mum?" Dudley didn't want his mum trying to face them on her own, after all his dad hadn't been a match for them. Or rather the dragon-monster. Dudley highly doubted that Harry had anything to do with what had happened. His mother finally stopped her frantic walk and gave him a sweet, tired smile that still lit up her face and made her so pretty. Even though she couldn't reach the top on her own, Dudley swore that he'd never leave her at the bottom.

"I won't have my house overrun. I'll take care of those monsters and come back for you, okay? Can you be patient for your mummy?" She cupped his cheeks gently. Dudley nodded mutely and gladly accepted her soft kisses on both cheeks. She opened the car door and buckled him in once he settled. Then they were off.

That was a couple days ago. Now it was now.

Dudley stood hesitantly at the head of the bed, looking at his sleeping cousin. His mum had came to get him very early in the morning but, instead of telling him which orphanage she had taken the boys, she told him that things would be different. Harry and the monster-dragon were family and were only kids just like Dudley. They were now going to be treated proper-like with their own bedroom, clothes and toys. So now the spare bedroom was their bedroom. No more cupboard. Dudley looked around their new room. There was a little blue hamper with some dirty clothes in it. They were small clothes that had to be for his cousins which meant they were new. There was a medium, blue bookshelf with stickers slapped on it that hadn't been there before only half filled with books. Stuffed animals sat atop it along with two, unopened board games. One set of rollerblades hung on the closet door knob while another set was propped against the wall nearby. Dudley pondered if he had rollerblades of his own…

The room was nice. Not nicer than his because he had more stuff than both of them combined but much nicer than that cupboard they had slept in. A lot had changed in the three days he spent at his aunt's but he was quickly becoming too impatient to figure out just how much had changed and how much hadn't. He was positively _starving_ and his mum had fallen back to sleep the second they got in. He had stayed up, nervous about his first day back home and his first day back to school since this fiasco happened. Now he was hungry and, usually, the twins would be up already in the kitchen. Or he'd be waking them up. Dudley shuddered as he remember what happened not too long ago last time he startled the boys and yet he wanted nothing more than to shake Harry (hopefully without disturbing the dragon-monster) and demand breakfast before the school bus showed and he'd be forced to eat their crappy food. Dudley turned back to the boy, determined to do so but came face to face with the dragon-monster instead. No, Dudley looked at him again. Now he was just a dragon, crouched over Harry with his claws balancing himself on the sleeping boy as though he were his treasure hoard.

"What?" Smoke curled from his mouth just from the simple word. Dudley noted that the dragon looked different, his nose was… off centered and his face was all yellow with bruises but he dared not bring it up so soon and without the proper backup.

"I-I'm sorry. I just wanted some breakfast," Dudley stammered, stumbling out of arm's reach. The dragon eyed him for a few (insanely) tense minutes before relaxing just slightly and sliding something under his pillow. Then he was rolling over Harry and standing in front of Dudley. He willed himself to not flinch because, no matter what his mum or his own brain said, his dad told him about the way things were and this dragon was still a freaky stepping stone. Just a scary one.

"Come along," the dragon snapped, waiting by the door. Dudley stayed as far away from the dragon as possible but not too far as he would look over his shoulder every so often until they reached the kitchen.

"I want—."

"Have you chosen a path, Dudley?" The dragon interrupted. Even though the dragon was not facing him, busy grabbing ingredients and supplies and starting the stove up, he could feel his eyes staring at him. The curious tone was not friendly, it was dangerous.

"W-what do you mean?" Dudley licked his suddenly dry lips. The dragon picked up one of the kitchen knives and set to cutting up some potatoes and peppers. Dudley hated peppers but with every sound of the knife hitting the wooden board Dudley could feel the smoke coming back to choke his brain and cloud his mind.

"I gave you a choice, Dudley, to stay the course or aim for change. Your ma… she seems to be trying and I must say that I hope you will do the same," The dragon threw his ingredients into the pan and they sizzled and popped gently back at him. Even already it was smelling quite delicious and only getting better as spices were added.

"I um… I…"

"Your father is wrong in his assessments of people. He's a bigot, bully and a coward who has done his very best to mold you in the same way," the dragon continued in a silky whisper, "I don't think you have to be that way, Dudley. I think you can still change for the better but you have to be willing to put in the effort."

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Dudley tried his very best to spit out the words but they sounded wobbly even in his own ears. This dragon was a murderous freaky monster who was trying to trick Dudley into changing his mind, into betraying his own dad. He was simply jealous that Dudley was naturally deserving while he had to threaten his way out of being less of a stepping stone. The dragon put the mixture on a serving plate and started with the eggs. As he whisked, he finally turned around to meet his eyes. They were no longer black as night and hard. They were a soft brown and swirling with all sorts of emotions.

"Dudley, I have come to the conclusion that some things are worse than death. There are real world punishments waiting for people like you and your father and he will stumble upon them, one day. I believe you will find them faster because the world is changing every day and it is our job to make sure it's for the better. As long as you do not attempt to bring Harry or myself harm, I will leave you to pick your own path. This truce will last as long as you behave properly towards us." Then he was back to cooking, dumping the whisked eggs into the frying pan. Even though his words had not been said with fire, had been almost like a sigh of wind, Dudley still felt smoke clogging his brain. His lips still trembled as he stared at his cousin's back. What was that dragon talking about? His dad wasn't a bad man! He dad was a smart man who did business with upstanding people because he was an upstanding man. Dudley wanted to tell the dragon that. He wanted to scream and shout and slap and punch until the dragon took back his poison and smoke. But he didn't. He couldn't do anything except move to the table and wait for his breakfast and _think_.

"Sevvie! Breakfast smells so good, whatcha making?" Harry bounced into the kitchen, hair wet and flat from a hot shower. Dudley didn't think he'd ever seen his cousin so happy with such a big smile on his face. There was one time when a new girl had tried to talk to him that Harry seemed happy but that was squashed as soon as Dudley walked over and dumped a whole carton of milk on his head and made him cry. He hardly looked anything like that dirty, scrawny freak in too big clothes covered in milk. Now he was clean with shorts that fit him and a simple red t-shirt and a light jacket in his hands.

Harry looked like a normal boy with his new clothes that he filled out since he was eating right and grew a bit. Vaguely, Dudley thought that maybe his cousin _was_ a normal boy.

"Only the French toast needs to be done. Can you finish so that I can wash up?" The dragon smiled at Harry. Actually smiled! Dudley thought he'd fall out of his chair then and there. He's never seen the dragon's lips do anything but snarl and frown and twist all up. Smiling, he didn't look so mean.

"Of course but hurry up. We'll have only a couple of minutes after breakfast before the bus comes!" Harry called after his twin. Dudley watched the dragon leave, holding his breath as the redhead paused just before he went out of sight. He turned his head only to make eye contact over his shoulder. There was a warning in his eyes and Dudley nodded hard just so the dragon could leave. But he did understand the look and he understood what would happen if he went against their truce.

"Oh, Dudley I didn't see you there… er, are you alright?" Harry peeped at him from the kitchen, his eyes almost as big as owls behind his new, fancy red glasses. Dudley squirmed under his concerned gaze, wanted to tell him to bugger off and mind his business but he made a promise. And Harry… maybe Harry was a kid like him who didn't need to be put in his place.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

TBC

My lack of present tense probably made this chapter ugly and I apologize but yeah. These be Dudley's take on everything up until now. So it's time to move forward. Into the liiiiggghhtttt!

Thank you for reading! See y'all next week (probably)


	7. The Crush

Chapter seven!

Severus had always known this day would come and some small part of him had fought tooth and nail to keep it back but it just came closer and closer. He tried bargaining, pleading, he even tried to pout but it seemed as though it could be put off no longer and was now on his doorstep. He should have seen that this afternoon would be the afternoon it would happen. After all, the signs were all there. Harry had taken to sighing every time children played loudly outside their window. He had even started up a habit of eyeing Dudley with open jealousy when the little shit would come inside covered in mud and panting from running around. And now, today, he was… fidgeting.

In conclusion, Harry was _bored_ of him. Severus wrinkled his nose at his incorrect and almost dramatic summation. Harry wasn't bored of _him_. He was bored of sitting still to just read books and of not having friends to laugh with in their secluded little bubble. His twin wanted to venture out now that there was no danger to hold him back, no painful humiliation to burn his insides and no cousin to ward away potential friends. That's what he longed for.

Unfortunately Harry James Potter was Harry James Potter who loved his twin like nobody else's business and would rather push all his cravings deep inside himself than abandon Severus. He knew that Severus wasn't exactly like other children, magical or otherwise. Severus saw no purpose in socializing or putting on a friendly mask to play with kids other than his brother as he had no motivation and wanted nothing from them. The redhead would much rather read his book on muggle poisons and stay out of the way of 'grubby, sticky fingers that had no reason for touching him' even though it meant a boring existence. Not to Severus but to Harry. But Harry wouldn't abandon Severus. So here Harry sat, fidgeting.

Severus lowered his book to look at the black haired boy. He was practically vibrating with excess energy and seemed to be trying any way to get rid of it. First he would beat his pencils on the bench in some random beat then he would drop them to fiddle with his book cover then stop that to do an odd wiggle dance in his seat. All within a single minute. And with his big, green eyes looking longingly at all the children of their year in different groups gleefully running about doing only Merlin knew what. He was sure that the group closest to them weren't doing anything but arguing amongst themselves. They certainly weren't moving a lot.

Harry went to pick up his pencil at the same time that Severus decided that his nerves had been thinned quite enough. This was going to stop right here and now and if it didn't he might very well lose his mind. Severus couldn't believe that he had thought for a single second that he missed the company of children his age.

"Harry," he snapped at the first tap of the pencil. Said boy jumped nearly a foot in the air and had the audacity to pretend to be reading as though Severus hadn't been staring directly at him. He sighed in exasperation but willed himself not to throw anything at his foolish twin especially not this absolutely _fascinating_ book on poisons. He took a deep breath and tried to continue in the friendly voice he used on especially dull classmates, "Why don't you go and play, Harry?"

"Sev, I don't want—." Harry was actually trying to spare his feelings and that annoyed him. He wasn't a little baby who needed to be coddled by his twin! He survived nearly his whole life without another half, had only made two friends in all his years (that lasted mere weeks) and he could continue to do so during an activity break. He snatched the upside down book from Harry's grasp and added it to their modest pile away from the other's reach.

"Yes, you do. And if you sit here for even one more second I will jinx you something awful," Severus growled, pulling the muggle book back into his gaze. He could feel his brother looking at him now, trying to solve him. Severus rolled his eyes at that, it would be another decade before his brother even started to scratch the surface. Not because Severus was so mysterious but because Harry was unobservant for the most part.

"Are you sure?" Ugh, Harry sounded so hesitant and hopeful. Like some sort of human puppy.

"What I am most sure of is that you are annoying me. Go. Play." Severus didn't even bother to look up this time. Harry let out a strange little noise and ran around to envelope him in an unnecessary but very warm hug before dashing away.

Harry felt like his throat was dry enough to start a fire and his palms wet enough to douse it as he approached the closest small group of laughing children. He wanted very desperately to join their game but the last time he spoke to another child, it just hadn't gone very well. He never felt so humiliated in his life, that day. Harry suddenly thought to look around for Dudley. He was nowhere in sight and that caused some of the tension to leave his shoulders but still. He didn't even know any of their names despite sharing a class with them for God knew only how long. They probably didn't know his name either, why should they? Harry stopped only an arm's length away and stood there awkwardly, words caught in his throat. He should just go back to Severus. This wasn't a good idea. It was just stupid—

"Oi! Harry, right?" Chirped a girly voice from within the crowd. As if they were one person, a half dozen pair of eyes turned to him and it was now quiet. The girl who spoke revealed herself by stepping out of the group and right in front of Harry. She was a tall, chubby Indian girl with the prettiest smile Harry has ever, in his entire life (even taking in account the people on the telly) ever seen. Her thick black hair was impossibly long, almost to her butt even pulled into a tight braid as it was now. She brought the braid forward to reveal that it ended with a pretty, pink bow that matched her pretty pink trainers.

"I'm Surajmukhi and this is Chameli," the girl reached in the crowd and pulled out a girl who looked exactly like her but a bit slimmer and her hair was cut to her shoulders, "we're twins too!"

"Are we playing freeze tag or not?" A nasally voice demanded sharply. It belonged to a blue eyed, pale boy who glared at Harry as though he had kicked his cat (because there was no way this kid was a dog person) or something. It turned Harry on his head because he's never done nothing to nobody but he would leave it alone as long as it could be helped.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Alex. Of course we're gonna play. We just gotta figure out who is It," Surajmukhi grumbled, her accent peeking through. Her really pretty accent. She grabbed Harry in her other hand, prompting a bewildered but happy expression on Harry's face, and dragged her hostages back into the fray.

"Actually, I don't feel like playing," Chameli spoke up, pulling out of her sister's hold and taking a step back.

"You can sit with Severus!" Harry blurted loudly then cringed. He had felt really uncertain about leaving his brother alone but maybe he was too eager to make someone else sit with him. Well he wouldn't make her but he did have a pretty convincing speech writing itself in his head. He cleared his throat and gave the taller child a big smile, "My brother is Severus and he's sitting over there with a ton of books. He won't mind if you wanna go not-play with him. And if you like to read, he'll like you a lot. I'm reading Pippi Longstockings—it's about this really strong, cool girl and I think it's really brilliant and you'd like it. I finished two of her books so far!"

"Really?" Chameli tilted her head with a really thoughtful expression on her face. Harry nodded eagerly. Severus would like her if she was a reading type of person… probably. At least if she wasn't real touchy or talkative, maybe. Harry actually wasn't too sure but he was sure enough to nod so that she wouldn't change her mind. Chameli looked over her shoulder at the redhead just in time for him to pick up his head and look back. Of course Harry waved. Of course Severus just went back to his book. Okay, it didn't help his case but Chameli snorted in amusement so point for him!

"I'd take care with that one. He sooner bite your head off than offer you a seat. He put his own cousin in hospital," Alex sneered, pushing his dark bangs out of the way.

Huh.

Harry blinked rapidly.

So.

Harry clenched his fists and tried to push down the anger that had lit up in his belly like hot coals for the first time in ever. This Alex kid crossed the line in less than five minutes and Harry was doing his very best to not remember the first punch he saw Severus throw and not attempt to recreate that scene. He was literally _right there_ and this boy had still said something that mean and rude about his brother. Harry didn't give one hoot if it held any sort of truth (which it did) it was still mean! And if it cost Severus a new friend he was going to lose it!

"And he made a teacher two numbers up _cry_!" Alex continued.

"Oi, buddy!" Harry snapped through clenched teeth, "You have all year to be a jerk so why don't you take today off? Or is it just a permanent settling for you? Doesn't matter, don't talk about my Severus like that!"

Silence descended like a thick blanket but Harry didn't care about all that as he glared at the gobsmacked Alex. He didn't even look at the other children even though he was sure he just ruined any change of making these kids his friends. It was very, very much worth it if any of them thought they could just say whatever they wanted about his best twin! In fact! Harry was going to leave right now before they could kick him out. Who needs jerks like that anyway!?

Harry stopped short as a laugh broke the tension gathering around them and saw a boy with braids nearly bent in half with is laughter. He straightened with a big smile and sparkling hazel eyes.

"You got straight burned, guv!" The boy cackled, "and by little Harry of all blokes? Need some ice for that?"

"You think that's funny, Nate? Wanna make something of it?" Alex whirled on his new target. He was a really tiny thing, about Severus's size with cinnamon brown skin and a hooked nose. Even though Alex was much bigger than him, he didn't seem to care and waved him off as laid back as can be. Harry felt movement and saw that Chameli had made her decision and was now approaching Severus with long, sure steps and her head held high. Maybe Severus would be nice when he saw she wasn't scared.

"Pointless, innit? You're just hot that little Harry won't let you trash his bro and right on him! If you said something about Jo I'd be fighting you right here," the short boy, Nate, gave Harry a wink as though he knew that's exactly what Harry wanted to do but didn't because it wasn't quite him. Then he faced the remaining friends, "I nominate Alex to be It since he's being a prat. Rules are: you get tagged, you freeze exactly as you are until someone unfreezes you. That's a ten second touch. It's over when someone gets got twice."

"Fine," Alex grouched with crossed arms, "but I'm only counting to five before chasing you guys so you best get on."

And so the game began. It was unlike anything Harry had ever experienced in his short life. This simple act of running as fast as he could, practically flying with his feet hardly needing to touch the ground. It was amazing! He had always been fast out of necessity but now he was doing it for fun and it was just awesome! He was easily faster than Alex though he slowed just a bit to give the brown haired boy a chance then he sped up when he got close again.

It was fun.

It was _so much_ fun!

Harry wondered if this is how quidditch would be. No. It would have to be better because then he'd actually be flying through the air! With a broom!

"Aww, come on. You saw me tying my shoes!" A girly voice protested. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Surajmukhi still in the position of tying her shoe, having been tagged in mid action. Obviously Alex had seen his opportunity and took it with glee.

"You're frozen! Enjooooyyy!" Alex taunted evilly and dashed off after a blond girl Harry hadn't caught the name of. Which meant that Harry had a chance to save Surajmukhi! He raced to the frozen girl and skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Ten whole seconds, Harry. Thanks for coming to get me," she whispered. Harry didn't say that of course he would come get her because she had been the first person outside his twin who had been nice to him and she was the prettiest girl he's ever seen with the prettiest voice in the whole world. He didn't say that because he could hardly keep his head on straight enough to put a hand on her shoulder and crouch in a way that would allow him to run in a moment's notice. He found himself stuck staring into big, dark eyes. As the last second came upon them a hand landed heavily on his shoulder and the nasally voice of Alex crowed triumphantly.

"FREEZE, HARRY!" Harry groaned and bowed his head in defeat while Alex went to go catch his other victims. Little jerk.

"Ha. Ha!" Surajmukhi laughed and fell onto her bottom, "Guess we're stuck!" Harry wanted to say that it was against the rules for them to move but he was cut off by her pulling him down to sit as well. Then she gave him that pretty, pretty smile. How had he never noticed her in class?

"I'm really sorry, Surajmukhi. I was trying to unfreeze you and now we're both frozen," Harry pouted. The girl jumped as if burned then gazed at him with a shocked, open mouth gape.

"You said my name!" she exclaimed.

"Huh? You just told it to me like a second ago?" Harry was sure that just because he had magic it didn't mean he could suddenly read minds or just know people's names out of the blue. Surajmukhi shook her head wildly and shifted until they were on the same level, practically pressing their noses together.

"No, you said my name-name! And proper too. No silly nickname without asking or just whatever! You said Surajmukhi," Surajmukhi explained as though this was the most amazing feat any human could pull off and it made Harry scratch the back of his head in confusion.

"Well… names are very nice and I, um, well try to get them right," he stammered, unsure of what he had done but glad that it made her so happy. People had names and he liked to use them and, if it was difficult or odd on his tongue, he just repeated it over and over in his head until it fell naturally from his mouth. He thought it just common sense to do that. Well, maybe he did understand her. He hated when the Dursleys called him out of his name but they weren't doing it because his was hard to pronounce. They were just nasty like that.

"Well I think you're the sweetest, cutest boy ever," Surajmukhi gushed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Harry wasn't blushing and his face wasn't hot and he wasn't averting his eyes to anywhere else because all of that would be silly and weird. Why would he have to do all that?

"OOOUUUUUU! Sura and Harry are about to kiiiiissssss!" A voice shouted, making Harry jerk so hard that he fell backwards. If he wasn't blushing before he definitely was now. But Surajmukhi wasn't embarrassed at all. She jumped up, hands on her hips and glared at their taunter. It was Alex. Of course it was Alex. He had decided that he wouldn't attack the jerk but would it be unfair to ask Severus do it? Just one punch. To the eyeball.

"And so what if I did want to kiss him? Harry is the cutest boy here and I like him," Surajmukhi proclaimed, reaching down to pull Harry to his feet. She dusted him off then went back to glaring at the brown haired boy.

"Are you jealous that she doesn't want to kiss you?" Nate drawled, strolling over. Alex turned any even brighter red than Harry and started to stumble over his words until they sounded like gibberish. Harry scratched the back of his head in confusion. Just what was this kid's problem?

"N-no! Girls are icky and have cooties. If you kiss them then you get cooties too," Alex wrinkled his nose in disgust. Harry narrowed his eyes. So now the boy has a problem with Surajmukhi! Well, that certainly wouldn't fly with Harry.

"Surajmukhi isn't icky. She's very pretty and awesome. Maybe you're the one with cooties," Harry grasped the Indian girl's hand and laced their fingers. Alex sputtered like a busted car, pointing at their joined hands then looking around at their classmates as though what they were doing was illegal and he needed backup. Harry thought that maybe he should be worried for him instead of angry. But then again nobody else seemed to be paying his dramaticness any mind which, in turn, made Alex squawk like an angry, brown haired bird. Before the group of children could settle on another game (Alex being unhelpful) the bell sounded loudly and a teacher promptly arrived to make sure they all went inside.

"Did you have fun?" A soft voice appeared on the side not containing Surajmukhi. It was Severus. His lips were curved in a secret smile and he eyed the pair like he knew something that they didn't.

"I think they did, dear Severus. Do I see bridal chooda?" Chameli appeared at her sister's side, picking up her sister's free arm to examine. Chameli had a very similar expression as his brother, that smile of a cat and canary. Harry should have known Severus would corrupt her! Or Chameli had been evil all along and that's why the two gravitated towards one another. Then again they didn't quite gravitate as much as Harry had thrown the girl at him so it was sort of Harry's fault that this was now happening.

Wait.

What did she say?

"We're only seven!" Harry protested. He didn't know what a chooda was but he was sure he knew what a bridal was and they were too young for any bridal stuff! They were seven!

"Almost eight," Severus shrugged as though that would make a difference.

"And Surajmukhi and I are already eight. Last month," Chameli nodded, "it'll have to be a traditional wedding or nanni and all our aunties will have a fit. Oh, your lehenga will be soooo beautiful! Harry, you'll have to take a couple of days off because Hindu weddings last three days."

"I'll speak with the teachers. Oh and I could act as your father if you want blessings," Severus added solemnly.

"You should get a Western wedding cake though—something HUGE… and raspberry!" Chameli gushed, jumping with joy.

Harry was sure that he would just die then and there; his head would just go up in flames and he'd turn to ash. Or panic would make his heart jump right out of his chest. He didn't want to get married so soon! He just thought Surajmukhi was very pretty with a nice voice and he already liked to hold her hand but he didn't want to marry her yet. Where would they live? Well, not with their relatives. They would have to get their own home but Uncle Vernon said (very often) that real estate was in a decline—whatever that meant but it sounded horrible. Harry would have to get a job to support them or maybe Surajmukhi would want a job and he'd stay home with the kids. Speaking of kids how was he going to explain to the stork why two kids needed kids? He was going to faint, black out right there on their way to the classroom.

"Harry… you know they're kidding right?" Surajmukhi's voice cut through his panic as easily as knife through butter. He stared at the girl and tried to piece together what she was talking about. She laughed a laugh that was full and loud and made her bend over, "Harry! We are too young to get married AND Chameli is older so I would have to wait until she marries first." He looked to Chameli who stuck her tongue out playfully. Oh.

"Oh, um… yeah, I knew that," Harry mumbled, panic now gone. He lightly bumped his brother's shoulder for being so mean to him but Severus simply laughed and took his seat next to them. He still couldn't believe that he never noticed her in class and now that he realized that she sat next to him it made him think that maybe he should pick his head up and look around every so often. Literally right next to him on his opposite side and with Chameli behind her.

It actually made him a little sad. The school year was almost over but he was only just now meeting this amazing girl and there would be a whole summer soon before he saw her again. Harry sighed as that thought really brought him down. He didn't even pay attention when the teacher started to talk. He had his books and Severus to catch him up… besides, he was heartbroken.

End of class

Sometime between wallowing and planning (because even though he was heartbroken summer promised all sorts of fun this year) Harry had fallen asleep with his eyes open. He swore it was just a blink but one blink didn't start with the teacher talking and end with the most of the class gone. Severus was (not) surprisingly reading his book with his packed bag laid nearly in front of him.

Harry didn't throw a balled up paper at the redhead but he thought about it for a very long time. Why would Severus just let Harry daydream like that!? Class was over which meant that the buses were lining up to leave with the students! And if they missed their bus then they'd have to walk home and Uncle Vernon would be furious if dinner wasn't in the making by the time he got home. He'd lock them in the… oh yeah, Uncle Vernon was in hospital. And they had their own room now. But still… Harry didn't feel like walking all the way home.

"Sevvvv!" Harry half whined as he began his mission of _not_ missing the bus. He shoved his books and papers into his bag, not caring if they got messed up. He was _not_ going to miss that bus!

"Hey," a light brown hand landed on his. Harry paused in his frantic packing and looked up at the owner of said hand. It was Nate. Harry didn't know what it was about him but he just made Harry feel so calm especially now that he gave him a warm, small smile. The smile disappeared for a moment as Nate adopted an overly suspicious look, glancing over his shoulder and seemingly on the lookout for someone. Once he was sure that the coast was clear the boy presented a big envelope that Harry had only a second to glance at before it was shoved into his bag. It had his name on it in big, round letters and footballs drawn all over it. That or cookies.

"Psssttt," Nate waved a hand for Harry to lean forward and of course he obliged. When Harry was close enough for the hooked nose to press into his ear and even then he had to strain to hear him because Nate low enough that Harry is sure that the boy is about to tell him that unicorns were real. "I'm having a sleepover on the last day of school. You're invited."

Harry deciphered the words slowly because, well, he understood the words individually but never together and certainly not towards him. A sleepover. Like friends who slept over at each other's houses. And he was invited. Like someone wanted him to show up at this sleepover of friends sleeping over at each other's houses. He looked at his bag and wanted nothing more than to rip the envelope—the _invitation_!—out and read it for himself. He looked to Nate who was now beaming and he felt the same excitement he felt when Severus told him they were going shopping.

Oh.

Severus.

Harry bit down on his lip and looked to his brother. If Severus has gotten one of these secret invites, he would have not only told Harry about it the very second he got one but he would have ripped it to pieces immediately if Harry wasn't invited. Harry steeled himself to do the same thing even though a small part of himself really, really didn't want to.

"Thank you but…" Harry silently cursed himself as he found himself trailing off. He wasn't being fair to his Severus by hesitating to reject the invite. After all, he may have played with the other kids once but Severus was his brother forever ever. He was his first and bestest friend and he wouldn't abandon him for some stupid sleepover by a seemingly nice boy even though a nice boy wouldn't have forgotten his brother.

"Thank you but I'm a package deal," Harry crossed his arms dramatically but with a sense of finality like he saw from the lady on the telly. Oh no, he would not be swayed. Even if Nate looked startled, stumbling back as though Harry had pushed him. His face went slack with just how appalled he was and Harry thought the worse but soon he was made to feel a little silly.

"You _really_ think I'm going to forget the guy who gave Dudley the best arse kickin ever? Not on your life!" Nate pulled another invitation from under his shirt and it had Severus's name on it but the letters were made smaller thus a little sloppier and had what looked like unnamed books drawn on it. Oh. Well then. Harry felt his cheeks heat up but he still smiled at the brown skinned boy. Nate grinned back and dramatically tiptoed to Severus. Just like with Harry, Nate whispered low in the redhead's ear and slipped the invitation into his bag.

"I thought you were sneaking around so you wouldn't have to invite me," Severus drawled, putting his book carefully on top of the envelope. Nate laughed with a shake of his head and threw a skinny arm around Severus's shoulder to pull him close in a half hug. If Harry wasn't mistaken, he would say that his brother was used to and amused by the boy and these sly shenanigans. Severus wasn't amused by other kids very often (ever) unless he was faking it but he seemed genuine. Maybe Nate was one of the many kids Severus used to charm food away from because… Harry didn't think Severus had any friends other than him…?

"No, alhabiba. It's your cousin and his boys that's the problem. He's said something… hm, well I just don't want that around my little bro or sis, eh? They're too young, they are," Nate jostled the boy in his grasp. "I'll see you two later. I have two more to invite. Oh!" Nate ducked down as a couple of kids went running by. Once they were gone he did a roll to the door, peeked around then crawled out with one final wave.

Harry laughed to stamp down the tiny, little ball of guilt that rested in his tummy. Dudley wasn't invited and he felt bad but only a little. Very, very little. Dudley seemed to have changed a bit (just a bit) since coming back home. Well, he seemed to be avoiding Harry by any means necessary or not looking at him if he decided that the telly was too addicting to leave just because Harry wanted to watch something too. Harry wasn't sure why the boy was acting like that (he had an unproven theory though) and seemingly still being mean to other kids. So Harry really couldn't blame Nate for not wanting Dudley in his home.

"Oh no… it's Dudley's birthday next week," Harry groaned as the date slapped him over the head. How could he forget about that? How could he forget the worse day of the year? He looked to his brother, hoping to share a look of utter disappointment but was met with confusion instead. Harry groaned again but louder this time. Of course Severus didn't know about the birthday because he just fell from the sky like a guardian angel and never had to endure the true nightmare that was their shared cousin.

"Are we kicked out of the house all day or something?" Severus inquired. Harry groaned for the third time but he knocked his head into his desk for good measure. He wished they would get kicked out the house but the more likely scenario would be them all kissing the ground Dudley walked on and waiting on him hand and foot. Dudley would spend the day throwing things at him and having tantrums if things didn't go exactly the way he wanted or if Harry didn't follow is orders fast enough. Then Dudley's horrible friends would come over for a party and be right terrors until Aunt Petunia would get frazzled and convince them to go outside. A shudder went through him as he remembered the horrible thrashing he got last year when they played 'Catch Harry'. It was nothing like the freeze tag he'd played earlier. No, he was never fast enough for Chase Harry. And if he was he got a rock to the back of the head.

Wait, no. Things were different now. Things were completely different now with a whole new set of rules. And those rules didn't include him running just to get beat up in the end. Nope! A smile found its way onto his face. Maybe the new rules had something about him not having to do all that decorating and cooking that had him up at dawn. That was a fun possibility.

Harry looked up at the clock and almost squealed with glee. It was his lucky day! If he and Severus jogged then they could still make the school bus and not have to walk. He grabbed a delicate wrist and pulled until his twin was convinced to run alongside him.

"There you are! Harry! Harrrryyyyy!" It was Surajmukhi. Harry skidded to a stop, forcing Severus (also known as his hostage) to stop as well. He looked around to find that the girl was down the hall, pulling her sister into a quick run as well. They stopped in front of them, panting. After a few seconds and large gulps of air, Surajmukhi straightened and gave him her most brilliant smile. "I thought you left while we went to the bathroom! Here!" She held out a folded piece of paper and he opened it to find some numbers and words. Home (U.K). Home (India). Super duper important emergencies (India).

Huh? Well, Harry was confused now. He looked back up at her to see that her brown cheeks held a tint of red on them now and she seemed to want to look anywhere but directly at him.

"Sometimes our family leaves for vacation early—our nanni has sisters she misses but they hate it here—so I wanted to give you our, well my number just in case. You can call anytime before 9 pm! See you later!" She launched herself at him to give him a big hug then she was back to running, dragging her sister along.

"We've missed the bus," Severus deadpanned. Huh. Harry looked down at the paper again. Dudley's birthday was very soon and he's missed the bus and now he had to walk home. But he got invited to a secret sleepover and the prettiest girl in the world gave him her numbers.

Yeah, today was definitely his lucky day.

TBC

Is… is this how you crush? On another person? Cause that's how Harry doin it. Surajmukhi (Soora-Ja-Mook-he) if you're curious.

SPOILER ALERT:

I'm not like creative enough to have good OCs sooooo they won't be too important in the sequel. But for nowwww Hareverus need all the friends they can get.


	8. Memories

Sorry this be late. It wasn't meant to be here in the first place but here it be. Here. And late.

Warnings: this chapter is legit all flashbacks, violence, a child witnessing it all, death, etc.

Chapter 8

The mind was a complex, mysterious treasure trove of information. His ma always said that it couldn't be opened and read like a book but he disagreed. Going inside someone's mind was like reading a book with a lot of allegories and symbolism and deciding if it should be taken at face value or if there were deeper meanings. Severus shivered with the anticipation of receiving his first wand, one that was tailored just to him. He was going to master the art of Occlumency and Legilimency by his second year of Hogwarts, he swore it. He'd create new spells and protect Harry at any costs from this supposedly dead Dark Lord.

Severus looked over to his twin, the boy deep in sleep with one of his plushies (a fluffy, yellow chick) in a tight grip. A day of playing with his new friends had him dropping straight off to sleep after dinner. It was a good thing too. Severus didn't want Harry to realize that he didn't sleep too often. It wasn't on purpose as sleep was essential to even wizards but he knew that Harry wouldn't understand that and would try to either stay up with him or try to drag him to doctors. Severus didn't like doctors, had never been to one and surely didn't plan on ever going. Besides they would be useless. There wasn't a cause for it. His active thoughts and memories were softened with Occluding and his diet was a good one. He wasn't stir crazy or using drugs. He just couldn't sleep.

Severus let out a little sigh and climbed off the bed as carefully as possible, grabbing one of their pillows and the blade he had acquired. He locked the door then positioned himself behind it so that no matter how deep he went tonight, a physical touch would bring him back quickly enough to defend them. He didn't like going inside his mind as it left him rather open and required a lot of energy but the mind was like any other room. It had to be cleaned and maintained. So he got comfortable on the pills and carefully kept his blade close by but not in his grip.

Then he sank.

Severus looked around the physical manifestation of his mind. His ma had had a mind as complex and dark as she was, a deep ocean that threatened to drown any who trespassed. Monsters to defend, sirens to distract and treasure that meant nothing. It was beautiful. Unique. And out of his grasp. He wasn't powerful enough (yet) to make his mind a complicated maze so he had settled on this simple room filled to the brim with books. Severus remembered every book he's ever read, every memory he's ever had. It was annoying. But useful. So his mind was a mixture of actual books, false memories and his actual memories. His pa was really impressed even though he couldn't see it but anything that could make his ma smile ear to ear was to be impressed about.

Severus set about organizing his room, working slowly but surely. It was a long process as neglect had created crack in his shield but he worked diligently and soon everything was nice and neat. He checked his internal clock and found that he still had several hours until dawn so he decided to indulge himself and view some memories. He grabbed a random book and flipped to a random page, settling into a comfy chair.

He was two years old. His pa had him in his arms as they dashed down the empty, dark streets. The town they had taken refuge in was small, so poor that there wasn't even running water. A beam of light flew above his pa's head causing the man to shove Severus's face into his shoulder and run lower. It was the first time he's heard his pa curse.

"Fookin 'ell!" His pa ducked around a corner. Even with his eyes shielded the way they were, he knew that they were close to home. He could smell the change in the air, feel the tingle of special magic getting closer. But his pa was hurt, a cut that bled through his pants and made his shoes squelch. And the bad wizard was getting closer. Severus fought against the big hand holding his head down just enough to peek over his shoulder with his new blue eyes. The wizard was a big man with big shoulders like his pa. Brown hair and brown eyes and his face was bright with delight.

Because he wanted to kill them.

Because he was close to succeeding.

Severus concentrated on the ground as hard as he could. He didn't want the man to get them. He didn't want to die. He wanted the man to get swallowed up!

"Good boy!" His dad crowed triumphantly as the man fell into the ditch that suddenly appeared before him. Severus smiled but they weren't safe yet. The man would be after them again. "Okay, we're here!"

Severus didn't need to be told that. He shuddered as it felt like a thick, suffocating blanket had been tossed over him. He felt like he was missing something, like an organ he desperately needed.

"I know, I know you don't like it in here but we have to hurry," his pa gave him a pat on the head. He limped through the house, grabbing their emergency bags and chugging down some healing potions. Severus shook himself to do his part in the escape which was to dump the special liquids all over the floor and any special protections his ma made, all the while being careful not to get any on himself.

"You thought a stupid trick like that would stop me?" The man was back. Severus ignored him in favor of completing his task. Wizards relied too much on their magic and was pretty useless without it.

"I thought you would be smart enough not to follow us in here. C'mon mate. Tell your boss you failed and try again another day," Pa waved him off, gathering some more stuff to shove in their enchanted bag.

"I've been searching for you for ten months. If you think—." His pa groaned loudly, scrubbing a hand over his face as he faced the wizard. His pa showed no fear, just exhaustion and irritation. Severus wasn't scared either but he stood cautiously out of reach and fiddled with his special necklace now that his job was done.

"Listen, I've been away from my wife for five of those ten months you've been tracking us. You aren't subtle," his pa sighed. He gave his arms a wiggle and got into his fighting stance. Firm. Up high. Blocking face. "I'll give you one more chance to not just be another body in our pile up."

"After I'm done killing you and that bitch, I'll be takin that one as my own," The man gave him a look that could only be described as a 'leer'. Severus didn't like that look.

"Close your eyes, Tyke," his pa growled. But Severus didn't. He watched with wide, recording eyes as his pa delivered the first blow, a right hook right to the man's jaw. His left fist came up in a jaw shattering uppercut. Then it was a flurry of strong, hard blows that the wizard was not prepared to defend himself from. Soon his pa had the evil man in a headlock and he met eyes with Severus. "I don't want you to see this."

Severus cover his eyes but it didn't stop him from hearing the snap.

He was one and playing with a pile of leaves on the step of the tiny, abandoned cabin they had broken into. It was a good place that he liked because there was no one around for miles and miles. Not even birds could be heard in this forest. Severus liked that. When it was quiet, everything was quiet. Except his parents. He could hear them talking a little further into the cabin.

"We have to consider all of our options," his ma said.

"That is not an option. Abandoning our child is _not_ an option!" His pa shouted.

"It is not abandoning him. It is protecting him. The two of us on the run, surviving by the grace of Magic herself, I can handle. I signed up for that. But Tyke didn't. We… if I had been a second slower…" Severus frowned around his dummy. He knew what she was talking about—it happened just yesterday. There was a bad lady who had broken into their house and made pa sleep with a silent red spell. It happened so fast he couldn't hide before she had her wand pointed directly at him. That had been scary but not too scary because his ma had appeared to save the day. Her green spell slapped the lady in the back and made her sleep as well. His ma cried after that. She rained kisses and tears all over his face and she held him so tight that his bones hurt.

Severus knew that he had almost been hurt bad. His ma and pa taught him how to hide from that sort of danger but it hadn't worked that time. And it made his ma sad. She was never sad. Severus carefully pushed his leaves aside and toddled into the house. His parents sat at the table, now free of dust and his ma held her trusty wand in a grip tight enough to cause sparks to fly. One of the books she had read to him said that wasn't a good thing.

"But, Lovely, you weren't," his pa tried to reassure his ma and put a hand on hers. She pulled away but he continued just as strong, "We can keep him and ourselves safe."

"Ma," Severus spoke around his dummy. She immediately dropped her wand and held out her arms to accept him and pull him onto her lap. She stroked through his wispy blond hair, pulling a little too hard but that was okay. She didn't mean to. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile in hopes of making her feel better but it was a mistake. Her grey eyes just looked sadder.

"Honey, you are wrong and, one horrible day, you will see that."

Hide, hide, hide away!

He was three and tucked deep down in a crawl space. Someone had broken down their front door, crashed and splintered it so bad it woke him up. It wasn't human, this someone who broke in. Above him he could hear the slow click of… maybe dog claws? Severus tilted his head as he heard a heavy huff and more clicking. No, that definitely wasn't any dog he's ever seen—it was too big and heavy. Severus concluded that it was good that no one was home because this thing was a werewolf. He's never seen one but he read books on them and his ma showed him one from her memories so he knew that it was a good thing he was alone and hidden.

He prayed that his ma stayed at the pub long after the werewolf left and he didn't need to think of his pa because he wasn't with them now. Severus clutched his special necklace and held his breath as the creature stopped directly above him. Keep going. Keep going. No one is here.

The floorboards around him exploded with the heavy claw of the monster landing only a few scant inches away from his head. His vision was filled with a giant, drooling snout bared to show teeth as big and sharp as knives. Severus let out a scream and a burst of magic that sent the beast flying across the room. With practiced but trembling fingers, he opened his necklace and the button landed on his chest. A horrible twist in his gut and one second later he was in an empty cupboard.

He sat there, soaking in the chill of darkness. Forever would that image be etched in his head and forever would he know just how close he had been to dying. After all, that monster had been there to kill his ma and pa and, by relation, him too. Severus had foolishly thought that the people coming after them would stop or maybe wouldn't get so close barring the people his ma and pa caught and that one lady from when he was one. But they hadn't. And they wouldn't.

Hours later his pa would find him tucked calmly in a corner with his legs folded and his eyes closed in meditation because Severus had made up his mind.

He would learn as much as he could to protect his ma and pa.

His pa was doing something very secret. Pa made him promise to not tell ma anything that happened (made him take a magic vow with an unknown person) but he wasn't quite sure what was happening himself. A cloth bag covered his face (so no one knew what he looked like) and a blindfold under that kept him from knowing what was happening. Well, it was supposed to. He traced his baby chubby fingers across the runes pounded into stone. There was almost several candles and seven people. Four wizards and three witches. Seven was a very important number. His pa, without magic and thus invisible to him, carefully lowered ear muffs over his ears but not before he heard a murmured 'sigillum'. He knew that word. Seal. He brushed his fingers over the closest runes again. One of them meant seal too. They were sealing—

"Ahhhhhh!" Severus shrieked as a horrible, squeezing went through his entire body. It felt like something was being squeezed right out of him, something he never knew was there and yet still wanted. When it was over he sobbed long and hard into his pa's chest. He had lost something important, he knew that.

They were in a little village with people who were guarded and suspicious of anyone and everyone who wasn't their own but his ma posed as a doctor (the villagers considered her more a nurse) and she was very talented in healing people with the herbs provided. His pa was also very well versed with the Bible and helped a lot at the church. So, after nearly a year there, they were trusted members of the community.

Severus, currently four and a girl, also had a skill: he made friends with all the village kids. But, most importantly, he made friends with Suzanna. Whenever he wasn't vigorously training his magic and soaking up as much as he could about potions and spells, he spent his time with Suzanna. She was a really nice girl with hair as red as the sunset and big, big green eyes. Even though she was twice as old as him, she liked to play in his newly dyed chestnut brown hair. And she never spoke to him like he was a baby as many people tended to do. She engaged him as though he was just as old which meant that she told him adult gossip too and she had a lot of that being the daughter of the preacher.

Oh and Suzanna was a witch.

"Kornelia, you are… how do you say zabawny?" Suzanna laughed, gathering his half of his hair into her fist.

"Funny," he offered. As soon as she realized that his funky accent was because he was natively English, she demanded lessons. She caught on pretty well to the language but not that she was a witch. Severus pouted at her through the dirty little mirror she had dragged from their attic. An entire week he's been trying to get her to believe him as he believed his own eyes but this was a backwards cult village (his ma's words) so she didn't believe in magic.

But Severus was prepared this time.

"This book," he held the rather heavy tome up for her to see, "is only for people with magic. If you read, you have magic. Like me." He placed the book to the side and pulled out an apple as red as Suzanna's hair. With only a thought the apple melted down his hand like paint and on the floor it sprouted into beautiful red rose. To say that Suzanna was startled would be an exaggeration. She let out a horrified shriek and yanked the hair in her hand which prompted a yelp of Severus's own.

"Cz-czarownica!" She stuttered, scrambling away from him. Severus frowned and reached out but the girl moved away, knocking over the delicate glass decanter containing her mother's perfume and shattering it. That certainly drew attention.

"Co się stało?" Her mother burst into her room. Suzanna's eyes were wild and wide, darting from Severus to the rose and then to her mother. Severus scrambled to his feet, gathering his heavy dress to be above his handmade boots.

"Pająk! Pająk!" He pointed to a corner and hid behind the woman.

"Kornelia?" His ma was there now. He ran to her, screaming about the imaginary spider with his heart thudding in his chest. He knew deep inside that he had made a mistake but he didn't know what mistake it was. His ma gathered him up in her arms and shushed him. Suzanna's mother knelt in front of her and spoke too quiet for Severus to hear but the same could not be said about Suzanna. To his relief he heard a quiet 'pająk' leave the girl though her eyes never left the book. He sighed into his ma's shoulder with apparent relief and listened as she apologized or the mess. After his ma promised to replace it with her own concoction given a week, he gave his friend a small wave and a smile.

Suzanna didn't smile back.

Severus knew that he should have been wary after that. Knew that he had made a Horrible, Big Mistake but he still opened the door when Suzanna came knocking and could do nothing more than gasp into the damp cloth she pressed into his nose. Her reassurances meant nothing to his panicking mind.

They dosed him with something. He was sure that they had because, even conscious, everything swam in his vision. He was woozy and his eyes couldn't focus on anything except the bright, red and orange something roaring below him. Far below him. He was very, very high up. Too high up to be safe. But he was tied secure enough that he wouldn't fall. What? Severus's head flopped to the side in an effort to figure out why he was so high and… they were in the church. And he was tied to some sort of… was this the big, metal cross that typically stood behind the preacher whilst he preached?

"Mama…" he muttered. There were people below, chanting and shouting but in his fuzzy brain, Polish made no sense. "Papa." His tongue felt heavy and thick inside his mouth. He blinked blearily. The people below him were saying something about a cleansing. Clean. Sing. And maybe something about evil? What? Suddenly the rope holding his cross snapped and he went through plummeting to the bright orange and red something. Screams sounded but not louder than his own shriek as he went down, down, down.

"Arresto momentum!" Heat. So close and hot that his tears evaporated right off his cheeks. It was fire! He was hovering over a fire! Severus squeezed his eyes shut as his body and prison was yanked towards his savior. His ma. His pa. He sobbed as his pa made short work of his ties. His head still swirled but he found that, upon opening his eyes, he had no problem focusing on his ma. She stood tall and fierce, magic whipping around her like a storm. She pressed her wand into her tanned neck and her voice came out booming and so loud that the building shook with every word.

"You have made a horrible, terrible mistake. You think you have been blessed by God but you have actually been cursed by the devil. I am that devil. I will curse this land. I will curse every single one of you and generations to come after you. Sleep will be a distant memory. Your crops, your cattle, your hopes and dreams will shrivel up and die. Every second will be filled with misery. Every thought will be tainted with my image and the image of my child you tried to harm. Any who attempt to follow us, any who attempt to tell others of us will be killed as slowly and tortuously as my patience allows it. And I. Am. Very. Patient."

The crescent moon hung high in the sky, outshining even the biggest star. A small fire warmed the inside of the cave where his ma slept. His pa was pretending to sleep or trying to sleep, Severus wasn't quite sure but he was also strengthening his mental shields and going over all the magic he had learned. Later, he would sneak away his ma's wand so that he could practice the motions and maybe see if he could perform them.

His pa was on the move.

"Hey kiddo," his pa whispered, settling next to him. Severus popped open an eye and gave the man a nod of acknowledgment which was not the way to go. A large arm hooked around his middle and he was dragged into a hard chest to be crushed in a loving hug. He giggled and tried to turn away from the kisses attacking him through the rough beard his pa sported.

"Paaaaa! I'm trying to practice!" He protested quietly, aware that his ma was still sleeping. She was so tired from all the magic she used all the time to keep them safe. Normally she would still be up brewing some potions but he had taken care of that while her attention was diverted. They always had potions on hand as long as the ingredients were available. Still, Severus felt as though he could do more. Should do more.

"Practice? What caan a wee laddie like you be practicing?" His pa's Irish accent was really good but all his accents were and he knew a lot of languages and countries as though he had a map and dictionary built into his brain. His ma wasn't as good so she used spells and potions to be able to speak and understand other languages. Severus wanted to be as good as his pa so he long ago added that to his list of things to master. No one would be able to spot his English in another language ever again.

"Me magic, of course. I ned to be stronger so I can protect you an ma," he answered in the same accent. He smiled up at his pa but hesitated as he received a frown instead.

"Tyke…" his pa started then he looked back into the cave and his wife and Severus's ma. Even from there they could see the dark circles making an appearance, even darker than the ones Severus sported all the time. His father shook his head and gazed up at the sky instead, "do you want a birthday tomorrow? Would you like to turn five?"

Severus mulled that over. They always had a grand time when it was his birthday but it wasn't winter and that's when he liked to have his birthday the most. Winter meant snow and hot cider but his ma could probably use a day of relaxation…

"Yeah. Turning five will be fun."

"Okay Sev… would you like to use a muggle disguise or a permanent magic one?" Severus blinked up at his ma. They were going to another country as they usually did to shake off their current tracker but he's never gotten the choice of what to do with his face. His ma usually dyed his hair or gave him a wig or used low level glamours. His pa and ma would use forbidden spells to mold their faces permanently… well permanently until they needed to change again. It was a better option but it was also really painful from the way his pa's eyes would water.

"Magic." He said firmly, his promise to protect his ma and pa ringing in his ears. His ma smiled big and proud at him and pulled out her wand.

His ma was absolutely _furious_. He could feel her magic struggling to contain itself even as it wreaked havoc around her. The lights flickered on and off and anything that wasn't nailed down shot up towards the ceiling. Severus caught his drink before it could join the couch and tucked himself further into the corner where he read the most fascinating book on karate with detailed pictures of each move. Perhaps his pa knew someone who could teach him the moves because he was sure his pa, as big as he was, couldn't stretch his leg up this high.

Of course this was only if his ma didn't kill him first.

"You think I will do what to my child?" She thundered. Even this angry, her magic caressed him gently as it always did. He lifted his drink again as the magic tried to shatter it. Oh no, this guava juice was a special treat for his third birthday and he very much liked it not splashed on his book and on the floor. Especially if his ma killed pa and whoever else was in there thus canceling the fun day she had planned.

"Lovely—."

"Don't you dare call me that when you bring this decrepit, asinine _fool_ into our home with thoughts of ruining our son!" Severus was very sure he's never heard his ma so emotional much less this livid.

"He will not be _ruined._ I am trying to keep him safe by—."

"By what? Crippling him as you did yourself? By robbing him of the one joy he has in this life we dragged him into?"

"That's not fair and you know it. Tyke grows stronger every day, putting a beacon over top of him and us. I asked A—."

"And you took his word? _His_ word! You will rue the day you attempted to sway my husband now get. Out. Get out and never show your face to me again or I will kill you. I will take apart your body and bury it in the greenhouse with only a simple prayer that your subpar corpse won't ruin the flowers."

A bright light of purple slapped directly into his chest and he tried to hold back his tears as his insides twisted and knotted in all the wrong ways. It hurt. It hurt so much. He fell to his knees, his vision swimming and head pounding. He held up a hand and tried to direct a curse back or even a simple push to knock her away but his magic wouldn't listen to his pleas and did what it could to ease his pain instead. With a defeated whimper he tapped hard on the floor instead.

"That could have killed you, Severus," Ma snapped with a flick of her wand that alleviated the pain. Severus panted heavily into the hardwood floor, sweat pouring down his forehead. "We will go again. If you cannot erect a shield then you must dodge or counter."

Severus nodded and faced his ma once more. He could do this. Today was his fourth birthday and that was young but he was smart and capable. Capable of dueling his ma, fighting his pa and protecting them both. He simply needed to try harder. He took a deep breath and found his center.

"Crucio!"

Severus stared at the man who had been sent after them this time. He was a wizard metamorphmagus which Severus found very interesting and sort of sad. They were a rare breed and it was very likely that he'd die before the sun set. It was his own fault for allowing Severus to catch him. He was sloppy and clumsy enough that Severus had observed him observing him. At the moment his hair seemed to be having a hard time deciding on the color it wanted to settle on.

"I like it best blue," Severus offered, looking through the things his pa had stripped from the man. There were knives, two wands and some potions. He scooped up one and observed the contents. Murky opal with little chunks of…? Was that butchered mandrake roots? This was probably a sort of sleeping draught that someone messed up. Severus was highly offended and quite sure that he could make a better potion blinded.

"Your boss needs a Potions Master," he sniffed as he looked over at the other liquids. There were shouts coming from the other room. His ma and pa, of course. His pa very much didn't want him to witness their interrogation problem while his ma sided with him and thought he needed to know as much as possible as fast as possible. Severus knew that telling his pa that ma had already let him view her memories of just what they did in there would only make it worse so he just sat with the prisoner.

"We are out of veritaserum… that is not good for you," Severus picked up an almost clear potion. Botched and stale due to the broken seal. He shook his head in disgust and picked up the first wand. It was short, shorter than his ma's and lighter in color. He gave it a swish and watched as an ominous storm cloud left it. Definitely not compatible. The second wand was similar to the first in appearance which made sense as it was a spare wand.

"Pa will have to fetch the pliers for your teeth and the shears for your toes. Ma doesn't like to go for the hands first—wizards need their hands."

"Ah—." The man whimpered around his gag.

"I wouldn't bother talking just yet. They won't trust you because you haven't earned it..: I could start without them. I could copy my ma's memories but pa doesn't want me to, he wants me to be normal but it's people like you and your boss that won't let me… I'll make you a deal. I'll give you this poison to make your death quick if you tell me who you work for. Ma and pa won't tell me. But I believe you will. Won't you?" Severus lifted the almost clear potion. Having been stored like this, it was now toxic and would kill the unique wizard in mere moments. The wizard's blue eyes darted from the door to the Severus and to his better end. To Severus the answer was simple but, still the man hesitated. "I would think faster if I were you." The wizard nodded rapidly, eyes fixed on the potion with a sort of hesitant desperation. Severus stepped forward, hand on the gag, finally about to get the answer he had been searching for but a heavy hand wrapped around his and he found himself looking up into the green eyes of his pa.

He was being attacked.

With kisses.

Severus groaned and tried to roll away from the assault but he only met more kisses the other way by a different person. He attempted to sleep through it anyway but soon fingers dug into his tummy and sides.

"Stoppit!" He giggled.

"C'mon Tyke, wakey for presents!" His pa laughed loudly. Severus opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the old man.

Severus frowned down at his book. What happened? He flipped to the last page and found that it ended halfway. Pages were missing up until he met that old man who put him with the Dursleys. From the day he awakened to the old man hovering above him, he had known that he didn't quite remember what occurred the day his panandma died except that he had witnessed it—logically that meant he had been traumatized—but he was ready to view those memories. He was inside his own mind and he wanted to see what had happened. It was his mind and his memories! Severus stared at the book but still it remained empty.

Well, if his mind thought that would stop him it had another thing coming. Angrily, Severus slammed shut the book and replaced it in its proper place. He fell crossed leg in the middle of the room and focused. Really focused. The room fell away around him and he was with his ma and pa.

It had been Gift Day that day. They were in Paris. He could see the Eiffel Tower from his snow covered window. His ma and pa promised they could climb it when night fell as a sort of present to him but until then they spent the day laughing and having fun amongst the three of them. It was amazing. Then…

Severus was thrown from his mind with a startled gasp. Bile rose in his throat and he scrambled to his feet loud enough to disturb his twin to sitting straight up in their bed, head whipping around to see what awakened him. Before the raven haired boy could say anything Severus apparated to the bathroom just in time to empty his stomach in the toilet.

"Sev? Sev?" Harry knocked on the door, sleep rapidly disappearing for concern, "Are you okay?"

No. He wasn't okay. Something was wrong but he couldn't explain to himself what had happened so how could he explain it to Harry? No, he would keep this to himself. Severus dragged himself from the toilet and quickly rinsed his mouth out.

"I'm fine," he smiled as he opened the door, "seems that pork didn't agree with me. Let's go back to bed."

Harry looked at him with searching, bleary eyes as though he were deciding if he believed him or not. As Severus didn't do anything more than link their arms together and pull him back to their room, he had no other choice but to climb into their bed and under the covers. As soon as Severus joined him, he latched onto his twin and cuddled into his side.

"Night, Sev," he murmured.

"Night, Harry," Severus parroted.

TBC

Oh ho! There ya go. Sev's past. I hope ma and pa didn't lose any love.

I want to reiterate that I don't know this canon woman or who her OTPs are or who did who where.


	9. The Fight: Birthday Edition

Warning: nothing good just goin by the chapter name. Graphic violence, language, the Dursleys live in a tall house according to me

Chapter nine

Petunia had baked a spectacular cake if she did say so herself. It was four layers of marble pound cake expertly shaped into a shark, one of Dudley's favorite animals. She then layered it with a bit of fondant and added little screaming people all around. It's eyes were made of chocolate chips, teeth of modeling chocolate painted white and blood of cherry sauce. It was probably her most ambitious project yet and it looked perfect! She really hoped Dudley liked it and that it would make up for the modest amount of gifts she had for him. Her and Vernon had been using the twin's money for al the years Harry had been with them for any and everything that they saw fit but no more of that. Vernon had a nice paying job and Severus had agreed to give money for half the bills and all the groceries. She rolled her eyes just a bit. That boy was practically an adult with the way he acted, agreeing to give her money. She sobered up as she remembered that the actual adults hadn't done right with that money.

"That's a lovely cake." Speaking of the devil. She looked over her shoulder to see Severus looking so much like his age. His hair, so long and full was thrown all across his head and his pajamas were twisted as though he had come straight from bed to downstairs which was a distinct possibility as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes. He was still too skinny in her opinion and he wasn't growing much but her sister hadn't been very tall and, most likely, he was born sickly and too small.

"Thank you, Severus. It is Dudley's eighth birthday today," she said. It hadn't occurred to her that the boy didn't know that as he hadn't been with them a full year yet and it wasn't as though they were talking about those kinds of things.

"Harry told me. Would you like Harry and me to make ourselves scarce? We can stay in our rooms or go over that spy's house," Severus pointed out the front window to the house across the street. Petunia turned back to her creation so as not to show her amusement at calling the old lady a spy. She was a nosy old bat but Petunia wouldn't exactly call her a spy.

"I didn't know you knew Miss Figg," Petunia started to craft another victim for her massive shark. Severus remained silent, prompting her to look at him once more to see a very devious look on his face. Oh God, she hoped the little monster hadn't bullied the hag. She couldn't well explain away a heart attack from a scary little boy.

"Dudley has some friends coming over later in the afternoon. Morning is for gifts and breakfast. Then I'll present him with the cake," Petunia was finally done, didn't think her masterpiece could possibly get better. Severus hummed his acknowledgment then turned on his tiny heel to probably slip in some more sleep. She watched him leave with pursed lips. There was something going on with that boy. Petunia had thought to leave the two to their own devices and never speak to them but that was just as bad as her previous neglect towards them so she set up some basic rules. There was to be vegetables with dinner, they were to be inside before the streetlights, their snacks were to be healthy. One of her very first, actually enforced rules was bedtimes. Nobody weaseled their way out of them—not even her Dudders. And yet Severus had bags as dark as night under his eyes and he was always yawning. That boy was definitely up to something.

"Aunt Petunia?" Another voice and another boy. But this time it was Harry. His hair was as messy as it always was but he looked more well rested than his twin. He was almost the same height as Dudley now and put on some proper pounds. He also seemed more energetic and ready to smile at the littlest of things. Like how he grinned at the cake.

"That looks really good, Aunt Petunia. Severus said you were about to start on breakfast… did… I mean, I usually do all that and I really don't mind," Harry offered shyly.

"No, Harry. You two cook far more than enough," Petunia snapped then winced. She didn't mean to sound so harsh but everything was odd. Everything was weird. She had spent so much time… abusing. She had abused the boys grossly and she would work as long as she could to right that. She smiled as nicely as she could and crouched in front of the boy, giving him a hesitant and awkward pet to his unruly hair, "just go back to bed and I'll call you guys for breakfast."

Petunia set to making this a wonderful birthday for her precious son. First, she hid the marvelous cake inside the fridge (after a lot of maneuvering and some removed shelves) then she started on breakfast. She made pancakes in the shape of sharks with chocolate chip eyes and surfboards with a bit of strawberry (she needed to plan a family trip to the beach soon), the fluffiest eggs she had ever attempted, and lots of bacon. Dudley _loved_ bacon. She then made a separate breakfast for herself and the twins which consisted of French toast, simple cheese omelette and sausages. She set Dudley's chair in the center of the table and forced the other three on the other side of the table. Her Dudley would be the center of attention on this day! She eyed her handiwork with a critical eye and scooped up a crown she had made. It looked rather realistic if she did say so herself.

It was time to wake her baby boy. She paused as she got to his door though and sent a short prayer that all went well. She hadn't a lot of money with Vernon gone and had dipped into her little trust fund to even afford the lovely presents she had gotten him. She knew he would be disappointed but her other efforts might make up for that. She just hoped he'd be in a good mood in general. Lately, he's been withdrawn and moody, hardly coming out of his room and staying out until the very last second before curfew. And when she tried to talk to him about it—Petunia wiped away the tears before they could fall. Her Dudders hadn't meant those words. He was just stressed and, when he saw how well she did for his special day, he'd be very, very happy.

"Duddddeeerrrsss," she sang as she stepped inside his room. She carefully avoided various toys and clothes thrown about and crept to the sleeping bundle on the bed.

"Happy birthday my little shark king," Petunia whispered, pulling back the covers. She tickled his neck and kissed his face until he giggled his way out of his sleep.

"Muuuuummmm! It's a weekend! I wanta sleep," Dudley whined.

"Yes but it's more than that. It's your birthday!" She cheered, swooping for more kisses. This woke him up much faster and he blinked away all fatigue and grumpiness.

"It's my birthday!" He shouted joyfully.

"Yes it is! Happy birthday! Let's go have breakfast, King Dudley," Petunia placed his crown on his lovely head. He scrambled out of bed and down the stairs so quickly she feared he'd fall but this was the most positive energy she's seen in him for almost two weeks so she refrained from any scolding. She woke the twins up with a knock and a poked in head to see that they were already awake. A quick hand motion had them following her downstairs where Dudley was already gaping at his meal. Pride blossomed in his chest and she joined him for a lovely breakfast.

"Pressies!" Dudley demanded, clapping his syrup covered hands. She was nervous again. Five presents. She was only able to get five presents. She urged her son to wash his hands first and went to set his presents on the coffee table.

"Dudley is gonna pitch a fit," Harry whispered into his twin's ear. Severus cocked his head to the side as though confused but Petunia couldn't pay attention to them. Dudley was back. He sat on the couch with a pleasant smile and seemed to be waiting.

"Aren't you going to open your presents?" Petunia asked.

"Are we only doing a little bit at a time this year?" Dudley asked back.

"No… that's is all I could afford."

"So I only have five presents?"

"Yes?"

"Five?"

"Five."

It was silent.

"I ONLY HAVE FIVE PRESENTS!? What am I gonna do with FIVE—FIVE!?" His face was turning a horrible shade of purple and his mouth was foaming as he raged about, knocking his presents off the table and throwing anything he pleased. He stomped his feet and punched the furniture but at least he wasn't saying those nasty things again. After he managed to break the leg of the coffee table, he ran out of steam and fell to the ground panting.

"Dudley—."

"It was actually six presents but as you are such an intolerable prat Harry and I will take back our gift posthaste," Severus cut in suddenly.

"You and Harry got me a gift?" Dudley frowned.

"We got him a gift?" Harry chimed in at the same time.

"We did but I think I'll toss it down the toilet. It's more deserving," Severus glared. Dudley was on his feet and in front of his cousin in a few seconds though he did stop out of arm's reach.

"Wait! No. I… what did you get me?"

"Apologize."

"What?"

"You have wax in your ears, do you? I said apologize to your mother. My pa would have this entire party canceled and ma would have warmed your bottom already."

"I… I'm sorry mum. I shouldn't have broken the coffee table or yelled," Dudley murmured, eyes downcast and hands behind his back. Petunia gave a small nod, surprise etched on her face. Her Dudders hardly ever listened to anyone once a tantrum started and he definitely didn't apologize after and yet her nephew achieved both. As soon as she accepted his apology Dudley turned excitedly to his clearly unimpressed cousin.

"Adequate. I still think Petunia should cancel your party but… here. You are not to take this outside of this house," Severus extended a thick plastic bottle. Inside it was a purple liquid that shimmered prettily.

"That a potion?" Harry gasped. Petunia felt ice slid down her spine and it took all her power to not just snatch the bottle away and smash it into a thousand pieces. No, no. Not her Dudley. He shouldn't be able to do magic, shouldn't even be around it. No! Petunia refuses to have magic take her baby away.

"Of course it is. It is safe for muggle consumption and tastes like blueberries. Would you like to try it out first, Petunia?" Severus turned to her and held out the liquid.

Petunia felt the old rage and disgust overcome any sense of familial acceptance she had gained in the past few weeks. She wanted nothing more than to slap the boy in front of her. How dare he bring that freaky magic into her home so blatantly? This little monster was trying to corrupt her Dudley! And then to offer it to her first!? She opened her mouth, unsure about what she was about to say but it was going to be horrible and mean and—the door burst open. The four of them whirled around in various states of alarm but it was Dudley who unfroze first.

"DAD!" He squealed, running to the man with a sort of joy he hadn't shown since the Incident. It was her beloved Vernon. Out of hospital. With wrapped gifts under one arm and a crutch under the other.

"Happy birthday Dudley!" Vernon announced, hobbling into the house. He dropped the load onto the couch and looked down at his son appraisingly. He slid a heavy hand under the crown and ruffled it right off.

"Vernon! I—you weren't supposed to leave hospital until Monday!" Petunia rushed over to check the man over, setting the gifts down on the floor.

"Hmph, would I ever miss my boy's birthday?" Vernon fake grumbled, wrapping his now free arm around her waist. She giggled as he placed wet kisses on her neck. Oh, he hadn't been that playful in years!

"Ewwwww!" Dudley protested, his face twisted in disgust. "Stop it, you two. Are these for me dad?"

"Of course! Who else would they be for? In fact, there's more in the car. Larry!" Vernon called. Petunia looked beyond her husband to see that a man had parked their car in front of their home. He was a coworker and friend of Vernon's that Petunia has come to not dislike despite being such a disgusting bachelor. He waved at them, cigarette between his lips but made no move to approach them. Good. She hated the smell of those things.

"I knew I wasn't really getting five gifts—six! Severus got me a gift!" Dudley babbled excitedly. Vernon froze as he processed the words—or more like the name—then a dark, thunderous look descended over the happiness that was once there.

"Sever—what are those damn freaks still doing here?" Vernon hissed. Petunia opened her mouth to defend herself and to tell Dudley to stop talking. She had wanted to ease Vernon into these changes… when she got the courage to tell him at all. But her boy was faster than her and didn't see the anger boiling in his father. Or he did and didn't care.

"They're family! They got their own room and everything but who cares about that? Severus got me a potion and we were just about to find out what it did!"

Harry had a bad feeling bubbling in his stomach as soon as he saw who was at the door. Uncle Vernon was back. Oh no. Oh no. Uncle Vernon was back. He laced fingers with his twin and slowly inched them to the stairs. If they were careful enough they could disappear before the man caught sight of them. Severus opened his mouth, maybe to protest but one look shot from scared green eyes had him pushing his lips together and following without protest.

"HE GOT YOU WHAT!?" Harry froze and looked over his shoulder. Uncle Vernon was _furious_. His beady eyes darted around the room before finally settling onto him and Severus… and the potion. It was time to run. He yanked Severus up the stairs and into the room before the injured man could lunge at them. They locked the door immediately. A monstrous roar echoed throughout the house, devoid of any actual language. All it held was pure rage. It was followed by the sound of something heavy thumping on the stairs and pained grunts with every thump.

"He's going to kill us. He's going to KILL us!" Harry moaned, pressing himself into the wall. They should have never thought things would get better! They should have never fought back. If they hadn't, they'd be safely in their cupboard and not about to _die_! He looked to Severus (who had yet to say a word) to see him pull out a large, shiny knife that Harry was sure hadn't been under his pillow before. Of course that's what Severus was doing, of course that's what Severus owned! His twin was a loon!

"Is murder your answer to everything?" Harry laughed hysterically, pulling at his hair. Severus clicked his teeth as though Harry were the crazy, irrational one

"It is easier than trying to fight someone thrice your size and strength but my plan isn't to kill him. It's to escape. Open the window," Severus began to use the crooked blade to shred their covers in long, large pieces. Harry scrambled to obey, quickly unlocking and pushing the heavy window up. He stuck his head out, stomach twisting at just how big a drop it was and how thin those strips appeared. Down below their Uncle's friend looked back up at him, cigarette hanging out of his opened mouth. He looked so small down there. Almost like an ant. Harry whimpered. They were so high up.

"YOU FREAKY FUCKING MONSTERS! Come OUT! Trying to poison my boy, are you? OPEN THIS FUCKING—!" BAM! The door practically bent in under the first attack. Harry swallowed and tried not to truly panic. They were escaping, leaving. Where they were going, he didn't know but it would be fine. It would be fine. BAM!

"Vernon! Calm down, please!" Aunt Petunia shouted.

"Stay out of this, you stupid cunt! I told you I wanted them out of my house and now you have them CORRUPTING OUR SON!?" A smack. A thud. A cry of pain. Oh Lord, he slapped Aunt Petunia. BAM! Crrraaackkkk! A large piece of wood fell away to reveal the deranged face of their uncle. He pulled back to shove an impossibly long arm through the gap, groping for the lock even as he still pounded on the door frame. Severus paused from tying one end of the ladder to the bedframe and seemed to realized just how close their uncle was to actually breaking down the door. He looked back to his work and to their uncle before coming to a horribly wonderful conclusion.

Magic.

Severus snapped his fingers and Uncle Vernon went flying away from the hole. Aunt Petunia shrieked as though she had been the one attacked and Harry heard her practically fall down the stairs. Severus snapped his fingers again and the door slowly began to pull itself together but his twin didn't watch the progress. He turned back to his work but paused, face taking on a sick shade of green. He slapped a hand over his mouth as though he were only seconds from vomiting. After a few precious seconds he slumped forward, breathing labored and sweat practically pouring from his face.

"Sev?" Harry reached for the boy but Severus waved him off and took several loud gulps of air to center himself. Then he shakily went back to his ladder.

"You LITTLE SHIT!" Their uncle was back. And angrier. A mighty blow sent the repairing pieces flying once more and Harry couldn't breathe again. He stared as the barrier was destroyed much quicker than Severus could put together their escape and the magic he used to repair the door seemed to have given up, wood falling uselessly to the ground.

"The fall won't be too bad if we push the bed closer to the window. Harry, help me!" Severus urged, snapping him out of his fear induced trance. Harry ran to his brother, tripping over his own feet and began to push the heavy bed. It wasn't budging. They weren't going to escape. They were doomed. He didn't want to get hurt. He didn't want Severus to get hurt. He just wanted this stupid bed to move! The bed shot across the room and directly to the window. Harry thanked God that his brother could do magic and scrambled across the sheets to the window. Severus joined him, throwing his ladder out the window.

"Go, Harry. You'll have to catch me because you're bigger. Go, go!" Severus was pushing him out the window, guiding his hands to the makeshift rope. Harry bit down hard on his lip. He wasn't scared of heights but he was scared of slipping from the thin ladder and to the hard, hard ground. But he had to do this or there was no telling how far their uncle would go. He was half way down when a sound drew his attention upwards. Severus was sitting on the ledge, one leg thrown out and hands holding tightly to his creation. But he was just sitting there and... was he shaking?

"Sevvie! You have to come—NO!" Right before Harry's eyes his brother was snatched back inside the room, smacking his head on the frame. Harry scaled back up the rope, using strength he didn't even know he had and he pulled himself over the window sill to see Uncle Vernon crouched over his twin with one hand around his neck and the other holding Severus's knife high up in the air. He brought it down, down, down but Severus whacked him hard in the wrist, knocking his attack just off center, twisting in the hold at the same time creating just enough room for the blade to stab into his hair But it wasn't enough to get away.

"Get off him!" Harry screeched, using the bed to throw himself onto the crazed man but their uncle seemed prepared for this. He reared up to meet him with the blade flailing, slashing him across the chest and knocking him right out of the air. Pain evaded Harry's brain and he screamed, clutching at his weeping wound.

"H-Harry!"

He couldn't see without his glasses and the hot tears pouring down his face but he could hear Severus calling for him, struggling and gasping for breath. His twin needed him and he wouldn't fail him. He gathered all his strength and dragged himself to his feet. There was a burst of something—magic—and something—maybe the knife—went flying right into the far wall. That just fueled Harry even more so he did the first thing he could think of. He jumped on the large man's back and began to pull his hair as hard as he could, pound him with his free hand and biting down on any flesh his teeth could reach.

"Leave him alone!" Harry bit down hard on the man's ear, tasting iron. He yanked away hard, the ear coming away in his mouth. He couldn't even process his own disgust as he spat it out and sunk his teeth into the fat neck next. Vernon released his twin to reach for him instead, his thick fingers attempting to pull him off but Harry held on, pulling a thick clump of blond hair out. Vernon reared up and fell hard on his back, stunning Harry as he tried to breathe through the pain of being crushed.

"You fuckin—!" Harry was unable to stop the man from picking him up by a single arm.

"I'll throw you from my house you demons! You freaks of nature! I'll kill you both!" The man raged, dragging them to the window. Severus threw out a hand and the window slammed shut. "Think MAGIC will help you?" He slammed Severus into the window and it cracked. Severus gasped for breath and he struggled weakly against the hand against his throat but he was too small and with no weapons and seemingly tapped magic wise. Vernon pulled back again and, this time, the window practically exploded. He shoved half of Severus out and Harry could see blood pouring as the jagged edge dug into his flesh. Severus. Severus needed him. Harry dragged in ragged breaths and weakly pulled at the strong grip.

"Mr. Dursley!" A voice shouted somewhere behind them.

"Mr. Dursley I need you to calm down and release those boys," the voice continued.

"Boys? You think these are boys!? These are monsters! Demons! And the only way to stop them is to kill them right here and now. Trying to poison my son. Trying to kill me."

"Mr. Dursley, you are not thinking straight. Those are little boys and you are hurting them. Please, let's talk but first you have to let them go."

"Let them go? Fine!" Harry knew what their uncle was going to do and he was prepared. He twisted his head as much as he could and dug his teeth into the fat hand holding him until it loosened to let him pull away. Something in his arm burned but he didn't care, not when the monster before him went through with his horrible, horrible plan.

Harry threw himself out the window not even a second after his twin's body was forced to break away the rest of the glass. He reach desperately for his Severus, fingers opening and closing to grab a hand, foot, leg—anything that would save his whole world from this deadly drop. But Severus was too far from him and, even if he caught him they were too far from the window to do anything more than plummet to the ground together. And suddenly he wasn't and they weren't. Harry held onto the sill, hardly feeling the glass and wood digging into his hand but he could feel the cold, clammy hand in his other grasp and he squeezed as hard as he could.

"Harry…" Severus croaked from below.

"I have you, Sev! I got you good!" Harry smiled grimly. He wouldn't let him go, no matter how badly his arm burned or how slippery his grasp became. Severus said nothing, simply stared up at him but he knew his brother was scared, could feel every tremble just through his hand. Harry was scared too. But he wouldn't let go. No. No. No! He wouldn't ever let go.

"Hello… Harry? I am Constable Stephen Wilford. I'm going to pull you up now and you can let go of your brother. My friends down there will catch him," it was the voice again. Harry looked up into a freckled face with blue eyes and bright red hair then he looked down and baffled at the blurry crowd below. There were neighbors, law enforcement and all sorts of strangers. He supposed one blurry group had some sort of… blanket held out. Really? He looked to Severus who seemed even more tense but a smile eased some of that. As if he would just let his twin go to be caught by some strangers with a _blanket_.

"No," he glared up at the carrot haired man. The man didn't seem angry or insistent as he grabbed ahold of his arm right below the elbow. He spoke as slowly as he eased them up, his body leaned half out the window to get a better grip.

"That's just fine, Harry. I'm still going to pull you up. There are other constables here in you guys room. They're all great people who just want to get you to some help as soon as possible so don't be surprised if someone grabs you. They also have your glasses—brilliant red ones mate. I'm going to grab hold of Severus now that I can reach. I see that you two like the color blue. It's a nice color—and in ya go!"

The constable hadn't lied. There were four other adults on the room, their uncle no where to be seen. Severus fell limply against him, his breath ragged and hot on his neck and his forehead pressed into his ear. Already a fever seemed to be creeping onto the boy. Harry adjusted their hand hold so that their fingers laced together before he fully focused on these other people, none he recognized. One lady look as though she just wanted to run away, one man had a look of absolute horror on his face while the other two remained neutral. Harry wasn't sure about any of them but he wasn't scared either especially as the horrified man held out his glasses to clear up his vision

"Where's… where's uncle?" Harry whispered after he managed to put his glasses on one handed. He felt funny. Like in pain but not. Like floating but heavy. His head was pounding too. One of the women, the one who looked as though she wanted to run away, walked up to them and knelt right in front of them, her dark eyes brimming with tears.

"He's neva gettin' out of prison, not ever. And ye two laddies are gonna be safe and somewhere far 'way," her accent surprisingly thick and Scottish but her voice was warm and sweet. "Can ye walk? We gotta get ye two looked at noow."

Harry nodded at the constable and adjusted his hold to support his brother as they made their way out of the house. Downstairs Aunt Petunia sat on the couch, her face ashen, lip split open and her eyes red and swollen. Another constable sat across from her, gently easing a teacup into her hand. A woman Harry never seen before sat next to her, her dreads long and piled atop her head. Her face was hard and angry but it softened as she caught sight of them. He didn't have time to ask who she was or why she seemed so happy to see them because they were being guided outside and through a bit of a crowd. It seemed every adult in Little Whinging had come to their house, surrounding it and trying to look around the officers pushing them back. He gave a small wave to Miss Figg who looked very worried. He didn't want her to worry because she was a nice old lady so he waved a little harder and put on his best smile. She smiled back and disappeared into the crowds, probably back home. The red haired constable picked them up as though they weighed nothing and handed them off to some nice looking emergency doctors inside the ambulance and then they were off.

Many hours later Severus snuck into his bed (equipment dangling from his head and chest) and cuddled as close as he dared. Harry had two broken ribs and two cracked ones. His arm had got out the socket sometime in the fight and he had a bunch of stitches for the cut across his chest. They had him on some medicine though so nothing hurt and he felt like he was floating. Severus, on the other hand had a bruised windpipe, stitches from the glass in his back and a concussion. Harry wasn't sure what any of that stuff meant but Severus assured him that they were both fine. Speaking of assurances…

"They don't… realize... that they… are... lying," Severus murmured in that broken way due to a bruised windpipe. Harry blinked tiredly, head lolling heavily to put his brother in his sight. Severus looked very wavy. Was he always wavy?

"Who's a liar?" Harry slurred.

"Everyone... we... can't leave... that house. Some... very bad... people are after... us and the… magic... with family… protects us," Severus wheezed. Harry had a suspicion that Severus wasn't supposed to be talking but he could only focus on one thing at a time so he thought about the breathless words very, very hard. He was sure he heard his brother mention runes and magic wards once or twice and sometimes when talking about the house. So they couldn't leave the Dursleys because of danger but the constables and kid protectors said that they would never go back and, if the family had to be there, that was an even bigger problem.

"Aunt Tuney and Uncle Verny are in jail. Dooders isss… somewhere," Harry wasn't sure where Dudley was but he knew that he wasn't with his mum or dad. The really nice lady, Mrs. Christine, said that they would try to keep them together but they were going to get a new family to look after them. One who would love them and not hurt them. Harry really hoped that he got to stay with Severus. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't. Maybe run away. He's never ran away before but he would if…

"Hey, what was that potion for Dudley?" Harry asked, suddenly remembering what had set their uncle off this time. Severus sighed and didn't say anything for a long time. So long that Harry started to doze off.

"It wasn't… potion. Just… bubbles. There was... a wand to blow on… when… opened." Harry was awake at that and he had to turn this statement over and over in his head to fully understand it.

"You… were joking?"

"I was joking."

Huh. That was funny. So funny that Harry laughed. It pinched and throbbed to laugh but he had to because he didn't know what would happen if he didn't. Severus rarely, if ever, told jokes or pulled pranks. Now, the first time that he did either they end up in the hospital, their guardians were in prison and they were on their way to a new family! Severus must have seen the funny too because he was laughing too. Loudly and not quite happily but it sounded like his laugh so he just laughed harder.

TBC

See? That CPS thing paid off. I mean it took like a week (time is a human illusion) for them to come buuuuuut… guess who is coming around to clean up this mess!? Only one guess though.


	10. Magic

Funny story on why this chapter is late: I can't count apparently. That's it.

Warning: Issa long chapter

Chapter 9

Kingsley Shacklebolt was a rising star among his auror circles and, if he were being honest (but humble), an all around good man. He was kind and fair to his coworkers whether they be above his rank or below, always ready to lend a helping hand, and loyal to the letter of the law. Even the criminals he apprehended couldn't fault him as he took more alive and uninjured than any other auror on the force past or present. He never took a day off and he had not a single complaint against him. He was a wizard who consciously and unconsciously held himself up to all these standards and more.

Which is why he was now leaning against a muggle hospital wall and desperately trying to keep his food within his stomach and not all over the floor.

"I feel… dirty," Kingsley murmured aloud. The memories of Vernon Dursley were absolutely disgusting. It was so hateful and harmful that he felt the need to scrub his brain. At least he was the last muggle that he had to alter because he doubted he'd be able to even view the events of this day ever again. Why did he have to have such a skill with altering memories? Why did he only tell two people of this skill that was definitely a secret weapon? Of course it wasn't the man who helped him hone his natural skills that had him out in this hospital—that man wouldn't be able to convince him to eat his favorite chocolate with how distasteful he was these days. No, there was only one man in the entire world who could and would convince him to alter more than fifty people's minds and free that disgusting animal from a well deserved life behind bars.

"I would not have asked you to do this if I did not truly believe it was the right thing to do," Albus replied beside him in his most solemn and serious voice. Of course he knew that. Only someone truly evil would want to free either Dursley without good cause. Kingsley suppressed the sigh that wanted to leave him and instead started a mantra to center himself. He was a good man and an upholder of the law. He was a good man and an upholder of the law. He was a good—

"You're back," a voice stated. Kingsley slowly pulled himself from having a full on meltdown to face a too small little boy. He was so pale that Kingsley could see the veins pumping his life force just below his skin with hair as red as blood. His little arms were folded across his chest, pushing at the muggle contraption tethering him to a beep machine. Kingsley dully wondered how he hadn't heard him approach with such a thing tied to him. But then he was distracted by the heated glare that the boy had leveled them with. It was impressive given that he was literally only hip tall. Actually, he looked rather familiar.

"Hello, my boy," Albus smiled, turning to face him completely with his blue eyes in full blown twinkle mode. Unlike many others who found comfort in the old man's expression, the boy's face twisted into a nasty snarl that Kingsley thought too mean to be on such a cute little face. But oh. That's how he knew this boy. He was the 'demon' Vernon had tried to brutally murder. In his memories the boy had been warped horribly to the point that he hadn't even looked human in the evil man's memories.

Merlin, he felt dirty again. This boy was being harmed— _truly_ harmed by his own relatives and yet, here he was, actively undoing all the hard work people had done to get them out of this situation. From the lovely social worker to the doctors and the constables. Kingsley's stomach made a valiant attempt to disobey him as he realized that this was also how their supposed savior was being treated as well.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived was just beyond that door all beat up and hurt. And soon to be back in the arms of hateful monsters. Kingsley was a good man and an upholder of the law. He was a good man and—

"Who are you? You're not a part of the memory squad but…" the redhead eyed him with too much suspicion. Kingsley cocked his head and eyed the boy right back.

"What do you know of the memory squad?" He countered. He, along with the other Order members, had been told that the Potter boy was being raised away from the magical world. That included this new Potter boy or so he thought. Then again, Kingsley wasn't sure that he was actually in the loop. To think that Lily and James had been able to keep such a huge secret—twins!—from the entire Order was just unbelievable. The kid did look like his mother though and had his father's eyes and Kingsley trusted Dumbledore with his life but still… a hidden twin? It sounded like something from a sappy muggle telenovela.

"I know that they will be making sure that Harry and I will be right back with the Dursleys. This was very messy business. Much too messy to let sit," The little boy hummed thoughtfully, face relaxing minutely.

"You are very sharp, Severus," Albus complimented. Severus?! Is that the name Lily had saddled this poor child with? Kingsley rubbed at his eyes and tried to hold in the heavy sigh stuck in his chest somewhere. No wonder this boy was such a defensive, smart tyke. A name had a lot of power and it could only be assumed that the personality of _that_ nasty piece of work was influencing this boy. Seriously, how had Albus convinced anyone, much less the school board that Severus Snape of all people should be around children? Even if the man was currently on a sabbatical, he was sure the first five years had traumatized enough children!

"Sharp enough to know that your memory charms won't work on me," Severus snapped harshly, his expression tightening again, "And if you try to alter Harry I will just dissolve them."

"It is much easier to perform on unsuspecting people…" Kingsley conceded with a carefully indifferent nod and a bit of relief courses through him. Somehow he hadn't even thought that they would alter the twins' minds. It was bad enough that he crafted a story of innocence for the beast—oh no he wasn't trying to murder his nephews, in fact he was nowhere near those boys! He was coming home to surprise his son with presents when he got attacked by some lunatic that Vernon couldn't quite remember thus making it very hard for him to help the muggle officers who were there, not to arrest him but to take his statement and provide some protection. As for the boys… well, they were jumping on their beds and it was all an unfortunate accident that everyone would just be glad didn't end in tragedy. He was lying and putting the blame on innocent victims and he was sure that this itchy sensation would never go away.

"Indeed it is. We shall take our leave now. Have a speedy recovery, my boy," Albus half chuckled but there was a… tightness Kingsley didn't hear quite often in his tone.

"Oh, no you don't, old man. Who are you?" Severus demanded, stepping in their path. He really was such a tiny thing. Much as Snape had been but Snape wasn't anywhere close to being this cute at any age or this clean. But it was this attitude, this presence of being a dragon covered in scales and equipped with claws despite being something much softer and fragile that truly had him seeing the Potions fanatic.

"You remind me of your namesake, you know…" Kingsley noted absently. Severus seemed interested in his statement but a shift from Albus had fiery brown eyes locked onto the old man like a hawk with prey.

"Who. Are. You?" He repeated firmly.

"Who do you think I am?" Albus peered over his glasses at the boy.

"I think you are a sneaky old man who has ulterior motives." The auror coughed heavily into his hand to hide the amusement that suddenly overtook him. If that wasn't an apt description of Albus Dumbledore then he wasn't sure what was. Not that Albus was a bad man, no he was the best of the best but he looked at the broader picture even when others couldn't bare to do so. He never saw the trees, just the forest and some people didn't understand that. Merlin, Kingsley could just barely grasp the concept and he applauded his Order leader for having such guts to be that way but still, it made Albus a 'sneaky old man with ulterior motives'.

"I dare say that I have other, more notable and positive attributes," Albus let out a genuinely amused chuckle. Severus looked as though he doubted it, highly doubted it but he said nothing more. It seemed that the boy had enough sense to know that he would get no straight answer from either of them but especially not from Albus so it was best to retreat. He stepped back into his room and gently closed the door, drawing the curtain next.

The two wizards wasted no time in leaving the hospital, ducking in an alley to apparate their separate ways. He briefly stopped at a pub to drink himself into something more likely to sleep through the night then walked home on unsteady legs. He hoped that the new memories he planted would curb the evilness that was Vernon and make life a little better for the Potter twins. They were little babies who didn't need to suffer, they had suffering coming towards them in a couple of years—was destined for it even. Keeping them safe, Harry especially, would be a back breaking task he wouldn't wish on anyone. Kingsley flopped into his bed, still in his muggle disguise and thanked all the deities he knew that he was already bald.

"Wotcher, Potters!" Nate was there with a huge vase of flowers and his parents ("Mrs. Mum and Mr. Dad" Nate had introduced. "Mr. and Mrs. Khalidi or Terrance and Nnedi" Mr. Khalidi had corrected with clear amusement on his face) behind him. His mum was a short, chubby lady that just seemed so warm despite how little she talked. She was much darker than Nate and his dad but had his same energy of calmness and the softest grey eyes he's ever seen. Nate's dad was also short but with broad shoulders and only a bit of chub around his stomach. His voice boomed with emotion and there was no mistaking the love he felt for all those around him. He had a big fluffy beard and a nose as hooked as Nate's. It amazed Harry just how much Nate looked so much yet nothing alike both of his parents.

"Look who we bought along," Nate announced as he set the flowers among the few others. Harry perked up and even Severus looked up from the book Nate had brought last visit.

"Harry! Severus!" Surajmukhi and Chameli jumped into view, both laden with large teddy bears that insisted they 'get well'. Harry felt the whole room lighten and his mood felt like it was made from sunshine and fresh flowers. He hadn't seen Surajmukhi in what felt like forever but here she was and just as happy to see him.

"We'll leave you kids alone. Don't go playing with any of the equipment," Mr. Khalidi warned playfully. Nate and Harry turned a dark shade of red because they had caused quite the panic when they convinced Severus to make his heart monitor stop. It wasn't their fault! Severus said that he could do it and they didn't believe him and then he did it and… alarms went off and it was a lot of screaming and pulling them away and why did Severus even need that thing anyway!?

"We promise to behave," Severus called after their retreating backs, shifting his position to allow for two more to join their three. He sat his book to the side and accepted the large teddy Chameli presented him with. It was a nice bear with white fur and a large red heart. In contrast Harry's bear was black with a pink heart.

"We thought you'd be less likely to get the white one dirty," Chameli shrugged as an explanation.

"Hey!" Harry protested over the laughs of his friends. Friends. Three of them! Harry never thought the day would come when he had not just a relative who loved him but three whole friends who would visit him in hospital and bring him flowers and gifts. This had to be what Heaven was like.

"So my nanni said that her 'sources' said that you two jumped from the window," Surajmukhi frowned disapprovingly once it was quiet again. All the cheer and happiness Harry had felt disappeared in that very moment. Severus had told him that there were people who would make sure they'd be back with the Dursleys and, for some reason, he hadn't believed him but just one day of being here and Aunt Petunia had come by to deliver a whole speech about 'jumping on the bed' and then sobbed hysterically about Uncle Vernon being 'attacked' while trying to come home to his family. The whole day had been wiped away and then redrawn by some unknown wizards until it fit a narrative that wouldn't put anyone in jail for hurting them. It wasn't fair! It was horrible, in fact. Harry hated it.

"We didn't jump from the window," Harry muttered, looking at his soft bear.

"We know that but how did you trip so hard from your bed to get wounds like that?" Chameli leaned closer to Severus to observe the purple bruises around his neck. Even though his voice was much better, his skin seemed to be refusing to heal all the way.

"And that's a wicked scar…" Nate eyed the cut on Harry's exposed chest suspiciously. It certainly didn't look like something to happen when falling out of a window, even if they went through glass. Harry wiggled uncomfortably. None of the adults around them had questioned the oddity of their wounds, they almost seemed to have come up with own conclusions. But here were the kids he had become friends with and he just knew that they wouldn't just let it go because he wouldn't and neither would Severus if it had involved anyone else. A glance to said boy showed that he had opened his book and buried his nose within rather than answer any questions.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Harry whispered, pulling them closer with a crooked finger.

"Harry, no!" Severus hissed, slamming his book shut.

"Why not? They're our friends!" Harry protested. Severus grabbed him by the robe and yanked him until he was practically on his lap, careful of his still bound arm. When he spoke, it was very low and urgent.

"They are also _muggles_ and it is against our Law—."

"You guys are wizards?" Nate interrupted him. Severus gaped at the other boy for a moment, allowing Harry to pull from his grasp and straighten.

"No," Severus denied.

"Yes," Harry confirmed at the same time. The two leveled each other with icy glares. Severus vaguely noted that he should have known Harry would try this as his twin didn't seem the type to care about laws set in place if it meant lying to his newfound friends.

"Magic isn't real," Chameli piped up. Severus almost agreed with her and had an entire planned speech about the illogices of magic when taking science into account but Nate had no troubles speaking out in his defense and enabling of Harry.

"Yes it is. My mum is a priestess but she gave it all up when she married my dad… well, not all of it. She blesses us before we leave, heals us when we get sick and sometimes looks into the future when there's big, big decisions to be made… hey, wait a minute," Nate frowned as though he had just realized that maybe his mother hadn't given up any of her priestess practices.

"Priestess… like voodoo?" Severus tilted his head.

"You bad mouth her magic or religion and no more friendship for you… or Harry," Nate warned, his hazel eyes hardening for the first time since knowing him. The little wizard blinked at the threat, almost appalled that the boy would ever assume he would do such a thing but there was bad blood between Western magic like his own and African magick like Nate's. Magick like voodoo was deemed barbaric, complicated and evil but that was due to stuff his pa insisted he was too young to know about (deeply rooted racism is what his ma whispered) and the secrecy shadowed voodoo even from those with magical capabilities. It was never, ever taught to outsiders and most of those outside of the family were outsiders. There weren't a lot of books that didn't demonize it but his ma told him it was all hogwash after a witch doctor took her in for a few years when she was a little girl. She spoke highly of him even though she never revealed his identity or location.

"I would never mock a valid branch of magic. Voodoo rituals may take much longer but they have strong foundations and are hard to reverse. It takes a lot of patience to master any form of it," The redhead said solemnly as solemnly as he heard his ma say the same thing. Nate stared at him as though to gauge his honesty then relaxed with a small smile.

"A lot of secrecy involved too so don't go mouthing off or my mum will have to curse you lot," Nate laughed but he wasn't joking as he gave them each a meaningful look.

"What kind of prank is this?" Surajmukhi frowned, arms crossed over her chest.

"Seems complicated," Chameli chimed in with a similar expression. Harry went from looking confused about just what the two boys were talking about to scandalized that the best girl in the world and her twin thought that he would lie to them. Well, he didn't know anything about voodoo but if Nate insisted it was real then it had to be.

"We're not pranking you! Magic is real. I didn't believe it either but it is and it's why everyone believes we jumped from the window!" Harry insisted. The Indian girls shared a skeptical look between each other and it was very obvious that they didn't believe him.

"Are you sure you want them to know?" Severus huffed grumpily next to him as Harry began to adopt the most heart broken kicked puppy look he could manage.

"They're our friends," He said as an answer. If he knew nothing about friendship at the very least he knew that you didn't keep secrets from them. He wouldn't keep a secret from Severus and he was his very bestest friend. Severus huffed again, willing himself to not think too hard on the one time he revealed magic to another of his age, and focused his attention on his teddy. At first nothing happened and the two girls were becoming more convinced that they were right when, abruptly the bear jumped to its feet. Chameli let out a startled scream and scrambled backwards and almost off the bed whilst her sister did her best to mimic a stone statue. The bear stretched and wiggled then began to walk around. It climbed onto Nate first, scaling onto his shoulders to get a better look at Surajmukhi. If her eyes got any bigger, the boys were absolutely sure that they would fall out of her skull and right into her lap.

"If nanni was here she'd be exorcising you," Chameli bounced back as any child faced with a friendly moving teddy bear would. She poked the bear in one plastic eye and received a soft pawed slap in return.

"She would have thrown it in the fire first," Surajmukhi giggled, moving her hands above its head and around its body. She was looking for strings even though it would have been impossible for them to be there. Then again it should be impossible for a teddy bear to come to life. "So magic is real…"

"Nah, we just got your sister to be in on our prank," Harry joked. He was met with a highly unamused glare from the chubby girl.

"Chameli is a horrible liar," Surajmukhi sniffed delicately. They all laughed above the short haired girl's protests and denials. When it died down, again, Harry wasted no time telling them the real story. Of how their uncle had come home and immediately went on a rampage simply because he thought that there were potions in his home (and a little bit because Harry and Severus were still there but that was another story) and had tried to kill them. He regaled the cleverness of his brother to make them a ladder made of their bed sheets and his magical prowess of… well all the magic he used from throwing their uncle back to moving their heavy bed to the window (Severus gave him a funny look at this but continued reading without interrupting). He told them of the terrible, horrible fight that ensued when Uncle Vernon caught hold of Severus and how he climbed back up to help him. He went a little red in the face when he explained that his uncle had essentially crushed him into a pulp and made him useless for a little while but he was back to being proud of jumping after Severus even if the other had to use magic to get them together and closer to the window. From there everything was a blur of doctors and cops and people making (unknowingly) false promises.

Their friends listened with wide eyes and open mouths as the story unraveled. Harry didn't really like the sad look that Surajmukhi leveled him with at the end, he didn't want to see her cry but he also couldn't stop her from doing so because he didn't know why she was going to cry. He was fine, Severus was fine and those memory people probably made things alright. But still, tears were gathering in her big, dark eyes and her round cheeks were trembling. Harry couldn't stand seeing her like that so he looked anywhere else and focused on his teddy bear. He had thought telling them the truth would make it better but it just made Surajmukhi sad and he hadn't even looked at Chameli or Nate yet.

"Harry… Severus… are you… I can ask my mum to hide you two. He'll try this again, y'know?" Nate reached out.

"Our nanni doesn't know magic but she'll beat anyone with a broom if they tried to hurt you," Chameli reached out as well. They both settled their hands on each twin's knee and their words were so heartfelt and serious that Harry couldn't hold back the tears that had suddenly come. He waited his whole life for people to offer to help him, to even see that he needed help and now that they did he couldn't accept it.

"We can't. They would just wipe your minds of us, relocate you and take us back," Severus said stiffly, giving the brown hand on his knee a small pat.

"Yeah but, uh, thank you," Harry gave them a watery smile. Surajmukhi launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and crying freely into his shoulder and putting too much pressure on his poor ribs and sensitive shoulder. He let out a pained wheeze but wrapped his free arm around the chubby girl anyway.

"That's not faaaaiiiirrrrr!" She wailed loudly.

"Oh, no rain clouds, what happened here?" A deep voice rumbled. Nate's parents were back. Mr. Khalidi stood further in the room with his face twisted in concern. Mrs. Khalidi peered around her taller husband, her eyes sweeping around the room. Once she saw no one else there, she relaxed and stepped further within, face curious.

"Harry told them about our fall," Severus didn't lie.

"That was nasty business, I hear but you should be happy that they have survived and will be back outside very soon!" Nate's dad crooned, putting a comforting hand on Surajmukhi's back. When she continued to sob and tears fell silently down Harry's face, Mr. Khalidi gathered them in his strong arms and cradled them close, unknowingly providing great relief to the green eyed boy. Mrs. Khalidi came and silently opened her arms to the remaining three children. Nate immediately threw himself into the soft arms and Chameli soon followed. It was only Severus who remained, fiddling with his book and unable to meet the soft grey eyes. His parents used to look at him like that all the time. With soft but heartfelt love and understanding.

"Just what in the world have I walked in on?" Uncle Vernon was in the doorway with Aunt Petunia and he didn't look very happy as he leaned into his crutch. Mr. Khalidi startled but he hugged his pair of children a little tighter before settling them on the sheets. A few whispered words then he was straightening himself and approaching the other married couple, hand extended.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. My name is Terrance Khalidi and that is my wife Nnedi. We are Nate's parents. I am sorry to hear about your attack—a random looney from what I hear, Mr. Dursley?" Mr. Khalidi tilted his head.

"Why are you hearing things about me?" Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously and effectively ignored the friendly attempted handshake.

"Ooh birds talk to me all the time and I have the ears of a bat," Mr. Khalidi laughed, dropping his hand smoothly as though it were never up. "Nathaniel has had us here every day after school to visit your nephews and I have to compliment you on them. They are sweet, respectable boys."

"Hmph, wouldn't expect you to be a good judge of character," Uncle Vernon grunted then turned his attention to the boys, "Petunia bought you both some clothes. Let's go."

"We… but we haven't been discharged?" Harry said.

"And you haven't been paying the hospital bills either. You stay another hour and I'll be heaped with dozens of bills. Now, let's go," Uncle Vernon demanded. Mr. Khalidi looked like he wanted to protest, his eyes narrowed and his shoulders back but Mrs. Khalidi appeared at his shoulder and placed a careful hand on his elbow.

"We cannot wait to see the boys again. Have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley," Mrs. Khalidi smiled politely, her voice deep and melodic. Reluctantly, Nate, Chameli and Surajmukhi wiped their faces as much as possible and filed out of the room with whispered goodbyes and promises to see each other at school. After all, there were two weeks before summer break. Uncle Vernon sneered the entire time they left and all the way until he couldn't see them anymore. Aunt Petunia paid the whole thing little mind, stepping inside to help them unhook from their respective machines. Just as Harry had finished wiggling into his jeans their doctor came in, red faced and very upset. She objected to Harry and Severus leaving early and insisted that they needed another week there but Uncle Vernon would have none of that. He threw a nasty tantrum and demanded that the paperwork be drawn up so that they could leave 'this godforsaken, money sucking hospital'. He had the right to take them out of there and never come back. The doctor only got a few more words in before she stomped off and ordered a nurse walking by to deal with them. The man was just as concerned but he explained the dangers in them leaving so soon and had Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon sign a bunch of papers then he gave them the simple orders of 'taking it easy' and 'monitor your body'. Then, just like that, they were off.

"I don't want to see either of you until dinner. Go to your cupboard," Uncle Vernon ordered as soon as they stepped through the door. He hobbled over to the couch and started the television up. Harry sighed and headed for the cupboard, wondering how his shoulder would feel cramped up. He was so wrapped up in thinking of the best position to lay that he hadn't noticed that Severus was going up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Uncle Vernon snapped. Harry looked up, wondering what he had done wrong but then he heard his twin by the stairs. Harry sighed, he should have known that Severus wouldn't go back to their way of living. He should have known that Severus would keep on fighting even after they almost died.

"To our room. Cupboards are for storage and dogs. I am neither," Severus shrugged and continued his journey. Harry chewed on his bottom lip and looked at the still broken cupboard door. He wasn't storage and he wasn't a dog. He was a human boy. He was a human boy who didn't want to sleep in a cramped, dusty cupboard with only spiders for friends. He liked being on the outside with a proper room and a bed and things to call his own. He liked having a nightlight to chase away the darkness and enough space to stretch his body.

"Get back here," Uncle Vernon hissed. Severus stopped on the middle step but he didn't spare their uncle a single glance. Instead, he just stood there and looked forward as though he were waiting for something to happen. Or waiting for someone, Harry thought. Was Severus waiting for him to choose? Harry took a step back from the cupboard. He had gotten a taste of the good life too and he thought that, maybe, he was willing to keep on fighting too. He took another step back from his former prison and turned fully away to join his brother. "Don't go up those stairs, Boy." Harry bit down on his tongue to not look at the injured man, focusing his eyes on his brother. He was going to go to their room. "Didn't you hear me, Boy?" The first step. Second. Third. One foot in front of the other until he was at his twin's side and linking their fingers together. "Have you lost your mind?" Severus leveled him with a smile that made all the nervousness twisting his stomach up completely worth it. They continued on to their bedroom, ignoring the anger coming from the couch.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry groaned, stumbling to the large bed. He noted that their room was back in order with not even a trace of what occurred there. The only thing out of place was his plushies which now sat on their dresser rather than their bookshelf.

"You bit the man's ear off but it's going to your room that makes you queasy?" Severus rolled his eyes as he pushed on his brother's bum to help him on the bed. Harry grunted as he rolled towards the window side of the bed. Severus reminded himself to bring their cooking stool upstairs to make it easier during Harry's recovery. After he made sure his twin was comfortable, he began to unpack their Get well cards and little presents. Harry, meanwhile, went green as the nastier parts of their fight came back to him. He didn't know that ears could come off that easily! And he never imagined that it would feel like that in his _mouth_ —a bloody (literally) ear! He wondered if they had reattached the ear as he hadn't been focused on the man. He figured he would get the answer soon because there was a steady thumping coming their way and he knew it was their uncle. He would be there soon. He looked over to see that Severus had gotten comfortable next to him, book in hand. He handed another book to Harry and his new, black teddy bear.

"Just what in the Hell do you—what?" Uncle Vernon gaped as though he had stumbled into a den of criminals or something equally unsavory and wrong. Harry glanced up and saw that, yes, his ear had been reattached. He thought it looked a little crooked but it was there. He tried to focus on the book in his hand but all he could really see was squiggles.

"Hello, Mr. Dursley. How are you feeling?" Severus inquired though he didn't stop reading. Uncle Vernon sputtered and spat and sputtered some more. "Some things changed while you were in the hospital… the first time." Uncle Vernon suddenly fell silent and his face turned an ugly red.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" The man hissed, looking around their room. Harry looked around too. He didn't think they had a lot of stuff especially compared to Dudley. Just books, some stuffed animals and board games. He focused back on his uncle and bit on his tongue to stop from flinching as the beady eyes was sweeping across him and noticing the difference. He had on his bright red, expensive glasses and new clothes that didn't even smell like laundry yet.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS FROM?" Uncle Vernon lumbered over. He reached out and snatched the glasses from Harry's face. Much to his horror Uncle Vernon stomped on them with his cast foot and they audibly shattered under the weight. Tears welled in Harry's eyes. Before they could fall the sound of clapping hands started next to him. Severus was clapping. Slowly and, somehow, sarcastically. His lips twisted into a crooked smile and he climbed to his feet on the bed to be eye level with their uncle.

"That was an excellent closing act for you. Wonderful, really it was and I hope you enjoyed it. Because this is it. This is the last time that you'll ever lash out at us again. Ever. Again. So help me if you even raise a single, fat finger in our direction I will destroy you—without magic or much effort. You will be known as the man who gets his kicks from abusing little boys, how long do you think you'll get in prison—do you think you have the will to survive being caged? What will happen to your career and family?" Severus paused as though waiting for an answer. When all that greeted him was the angry, red face their uncle sported often he smiled brightly. "I am so glad that we are on the same page. Please, relax on the couch and keep your leg elevated for maximum recovery."

Severus flopped back onto his bottom, scooping his book back to read. Vernon hobbled painfully to the door but Severus stopped him again, sure that the man was as hard headed as he was pig headed.

"Mr. Dursley?" He called, keeping his eyes on the words before him, "Think wisely about your next actions. Or I will kill you. With or without Harry's permission." He lowered the book just enough to meet beady, dark eyes, "All it takes are some chanted words at the end of your bed in the middle of the night."

Uncle Vernon let out a wordless roar and continued his hobble out of the room. As soon as he slammed the door enough to shake the walls, Harry scrambled from the bed and fell to his knees in front of his crushed glasses. Sure he had the other pair, but he liked these glasses too. They were nice and a cool color and it just wasn't fair that they were broken for no reason. Harry cried silently over them. Something shifted and grinded loudly in front of him. Upon wiping away his tears, Harry saw that his glasses were good as new. He gasped and shoved them quickly on his face, blinking as the world was back to being focused.

"Thank you Severus!" Harry gushed, running to hug his brother. A little hand hit him on the forehead, effectively stopping him in his tracks. He blinked wildly at the other boy but Severus was still reading with one hand holding him away.

"I had nothing to do with fixing your glasses, Harry. Nor did I push the bed or safely teleport us to the windowsill. You are just as much a wizard as I am and you will not push your accomplishments onto me," Severus said firmly, turning a page. Oh. Harry mulled over that. Severus wouldn't lie to him just to make him feel better so that meant that he had saved them from falling so high up. He used his magic to help his twin. He used magic to save Severus! "You used magic to save yourself as well." Harry blushed. It appeared that he said his revelation out loud. Still, he smiled and gladly accepted the bum push to get onto the bed. He didn't care about saving himself. He snuggled underneath his covers with the best thought he could ever think: he had saved Severus!

Dinner was so tense that Harry was sure he could cut it with a butter knife. The silence bore down on him like an elephant's foot. Harry took a sip of his juice, ignoring the audible sound of grinding teeth. It was just Uncle Vernon who seemed to be trying to glare holes into his face and maybe bend his utensils with the way he gripped them so hard. Harry took a bite of the meatloaf and thought it was a tad burnt but it was Uncle Vernon's favorite meal and meant to make him happier if he understood his aunt at all.

It wasn't working.

He glanced at the twiggy woman but her attention was fixed solely on her meal even as she ate her lip more than the food. A look to Dudley show that, unsurprisingly, he wasn't affected by the animosity pouring off his father and seemed to be trying to beat some kind of world record for fastest to clear their second plate. Severus didn't seem affected either with a green bound journal in one hand and fork in the other. He had a couple of near misses with his cheek as he wouldn't tear his eyes away from what had to be fascinating words. Harry vaguely knew that it was a sort of scientific potions thing that got published once a week. Severus either really loved it or spent the time muttering about dunderheads who had less intelligence than a seven year old.

"Where is it?" Uncle Vernon suddenly spoke. Harry jumped and turned his attention to his uncle. The man hadn't even started his dinner. It seemed that he spent this entire time trying to set Harry on fire with his mind. Good thing he wasn't a wizard.

"Where is what?" Harry tilted his head.

"Don't try to play me, boy. Where have you hidden it?" Uncle Vernon spat, spittle flying across the table and nearly touching Harry's plate. He moved it closer just in case he would continue.

"I can't read your mind, Uncle. If you tell me what it is then I'll know if I know where it is," Harry explained. He wasn't scared anymore, not of Uncle Vernon. He was just a bully who wouldn't dare treat them badly if other people knew. And they would know and they would punish him if the man tried to hurt them anymore. It never occurred to Harry that he could tell people of what was happening, he was a freak who nobody cared about and who no one would help even if they did know. But now he knew better. He wasn't a freak and people did care. He thought of the memory wizards coming back should they get their uncle arrested but Severus had explained that the runes didn't need Vernon, just Aunt Petunia.

"You think you can suddenly back talk me, Boy?" The man growled.

"You think I can suddenly read minds?" Harry shrugged. Severus choked on his next sip of juice and dropped his book to pound on his own chest.

"Where. Is. The. Money?" Oh. That made sense. He didn't actually know where the money was, Severus just said that he had taken care of it after giving their aunt a portion for half of the bills and all the groceries.

"You mean our money?" Severus cleared his throat. Uncle Vernon slammed his hands on the table, causing Harry to jerk away and Dudley to yelp like a dog who got his tail stepped on.

"That is _my_ money that I earned for having freaks in _my_ home, eating _my_ food and costing me a _fortune_ to take care of."

"Liar!" Harry shouted, standing up in his chair. "You've never ever taken care of me. Not ever! When I was five you left me in the cupboard for a week to 'sweat out my fever'. I thought I was going to die and if I had you wouldn't have even cared!" Tears that felt like lava poured down his face but he didn't wipe them away. He stared at his mean, evil uncle through his tears. He had been so scared during that week, hoping to get better but also, maybe hoping to stop existing because being with the Dursleys was so horrible that he just wanted to melt away. He was glad he survived because if he hadn't Severus would be in this stupid house all by himself. Harry was glad he survived to see this day where Uncle Vernon couldn't abuse him any longer. "You don't deserve that money and we won't give it to you!"

"Why you little—!" Uncle Vernon jumped up and, just like that, everything started to go in slow motion. His large, meaty hand was reaching for him and Harry just knew that Uncle Vernon was going to hurt him but he didn't step back or try to evade him. He knew he would be fine, could feel it in his bones. Movement from the corner of his eye revealed Severus climbing onto the table, fork in a death grip and a sort of anger he's never really seen before in his eyes. But Severus didn't get the chance to express his rage. Movement on Harry's other side proved to be faster.

"That is enough!" Aunt Petunia shouted on a shrill, deafening sort of voice. She grabbed her husband shoulders and shoved him down into his seat, his shock throwing him off balance to allow it. Everyone froze. The silence was back but not for long. Uncle Vernon started to sputter and stutter and make all sorts of noises of protests. Aunt Petunia held up a hand to stop him. She spoke firmly even as her hands showed her nervousness by twisting into her simple dress and her eyes couldn't quite meet her husband's. "No, Vernon. I should have… we should have… just, no more. That money is the twins' money. Only a portion will be used for this house and the rest just for them. Th… the twins… Harry and Severus are to keep their room and their things. They are just children. And I love you, Vernon-dear. I love you very much."

"You'll choose these freaks over your own husband?" Uncle Vernon spat through clenched teeth. Aunt Petunia fell quiet for a second, hands clenched in tight fists and literal strain on her thin face as she, finally, met his eyes.

"I… am not choosing anyone over anyone. I am being fair. They will bathe, eat, play and sleep like any other child. They will get medical care when they need it and new clothes when they grow. It. Is. Fair." Harry almost fell out of his chair or maybe jumped out of it because this was the most amazing thing he's ever seen. He knew that their aunt had had a change of heart but he hadn't thought, in his wildest dreams, that she would stand up for them against her own husband. After all, she was not innocent when it came to the abuse, even when it started to leave bruises and bloody noses.

But here she was, right now.

Defending them.

Wow.

This had to be magic.

TBC

Snarky Harry is best Harry and even a glimpse of my snarky baby soothes me. Or would it be considered sassy? Huh. Don't know.

Congrats on anyone who guessed that it would be Dumbles to come around after that shenaniganic showdown. I know you all wanted to see some more of him. So there he goes.

On a last note we're almost at the finish line! Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!


	11. The Sleepover

So I may have forgotten to mention this buuuut Hogwarts is **next** installment—the sequel! Good news is that this one just has this chapter and one more. Bad news: even in the sequel I don't plan on going straight to Hogwarts. I'm sorry if anyone is disappointed :(

Enjoy!

"Have you ever been to a sleepover, Sev?" Harry asked as they waited in their little group. It was him, his twin, Nate and Alex. He was so stoked that he didn't even care that the dramatic, black haired boy was joining them and Alex seemed content on ignoring Harry and Severus, keeping his head turned to Nate the whole time. One day he would figure out just what the boy's problem was with him.

"No, it was too… we moved around a lot so I didn't make many friends," Severus smiled. Harry knew that his brother was keeping something from him or he thought that he knew that his brother was keeping something from him. Severus talked about his ma and pa but he didn't _actually_ talk about them. If Harry wasn't so sure that that sounded crazy enough to send Severus into hysterical laughter he would accuse the boy of secret holding.

"Hey boys!" Mr. Khalidi called out as he pulled up in front of them. Harry threw out all his hard thinking and let out a delighted squeal and yanked on his brother, practically dragging the willing boy to the car. They climbed in, buckled themselves safely and off they went. Harry wasn't quite sure what kind of house he thought Nate would live in, maybe something like the four bedroom, no basement sort of home the Dursleys lived in. Or maybe the tiny apartment Alex complained about sometimes. Maybe even something otherly because of all the talk of voodoo. Like made of bones or something! Of course, all three guesses were wrong because they were entering a literal GATE just to get to the houses and each house was just as big as the next. Harry's jaw dropped as they finally pulled up to what had to be Nate's house because his mum was standing at the doorway with two little kids at her hips.

"Holy… you're loaded!" Alex accused, throwing Nate an almost dirty look.

"Well, yeah?" Nate tilted his head in confusion as though he thought everyone knew that tidbit. Harry thought about it and he realized that Nate almost always wore new, designer clothes and did Nate ever wear the same shoes twice? His hair was never messy, whether it was braided or curly. And he often bought things for his friends like when Harry and Severus were in the hospital or whenever Alex complained about not having enough money for a snack. Still though, he just thought that the easygoing boy had an allowance he didn't mind spending on others or something. Harry didn't expect this three story _mansion_ with what had to be the most beautiful garden in all the world right in front of it. This was like crazy rich!

"Remember to not be too noisy, boys, going inside. I'm going to go pick up the next batch," Mr. Khalidi cautioned as they climbed out.

"Too noisy?" Harry inquired as they approached two, obviously giddy but restrained little kids.

"Neighbors watch us like vultures," Nate shrugged in answer. Harry looked around and, sure enough, there were people seemingly minding their business doing various activities but definitely watching them because it wasn't like they were super spies. Well, at least that much didn't change between neighborhoods. He guessed not many kids lived here and all the old people hated noises or something.

"Welcome to our home boys. How is your mother, Alex?" Mrs. Khalidi asked as she stepped back to allow the boys and their bags into her home.

"Oh she's good ma'am. Her new doctors are brilliant, thank you," Alex smiled brightly for the first time since Harry had known him. He thought the boy should do it more often so he didn't look like a bitter old man.

"Good, good. How are you two?" Kind, grey eyes landed onto Harry and Severus.

"Complete recovery," Severus lifted his head to show off his pale, completely fine neck.

"Just have to be careful," Harry answered though he flapped his arms dramatically to show that, at the very least, his shoulder and arm were fine. He was just cautioned that his ribs were just a little delicate and to not fall from a 'great height' anytime soon. More like not have his uncle throw all his heavy weight on him but he couldn't fault the doctors for not knowing the truth. Mrs. Khalidi nodded silently and closed the door behind them then drifted from the room.

"Hi! Everyone calls me Koko! I'm five!" A miniature version of Mrs. Khalidi bounced forward with long plaits and bright hair ties with balls at the end, grey eyes shining brightly with energy and delight. She listened somehow patiently but impatiently to each of their names, a jittery ball of nodding and bouncing and making sure she made eye contact. Once they were done, she swept her arm in the direction of the other little kid, a little boy who had his mum's dark skin and eyes so dark and big, they looked like black pools. He stood far away as though he had been planning on escaping, "That is our younger brother. You can call him Jo! He's three. Say hi to Nate's friends Jo!"

The little boy looked at his bare feet, wiggling his toes and Harry was sure he was saying something because he could see his lips moving and there was sound coming out but he certainly didn't understand it. They all looked to Nate.

"He's shy and when he's very nervous he talks in Twi but we don't speak in languages that others can't, do we Jo?" Nate called out to his baby brother.

"He said welcome and he wants to play too," Koko explained huffily, crossing her little arms.

"First, you're lying. He said he likes Severus's hair. Second, nope to infinity! These are my friends and we're playing big kid games. You had your sleepover yesterday," Nate frowned. Harry marveled at this interaction as he very rarely saw Nate anything other than relaxed, even when someone was _trying_ to make him angry.

"I let you play princess tea party with my friends! _And_ I let you pick our nail polishes!" Koko stomped her feet. Three pair of eyes latched onto the golden boy and his face was suddenly trying to become as red as a lobster.

"I-I—not the same thing. You invited me. I'm not inviting you. Different, innit?" Nate protested. Koko and Nate engaged in a staring contest, her face screwed up and on her tiptoes to be taller and Nate with his arms crossed and a definite no on his face. When his face didn't shift Koko let out an irate screechy noise like fifty very angry birds and stomped over to the youngest of them all.

"Meanie Nate! You can't touch my hair for forever!" Koko pointed dramatically. She turned to Jo and scooped him up and onto her hip, "Let's go Jo, we can play tea party doctor and ignore all the stanky boys and their stanky games!" Koko stuck out her tongue and stormed from the room, giggling toddler in tow.

"Sooooo…" Alex started, crooked grin on his face. He slung a pale arm around Nate's neck and pulled him close, "Princess tea parties?"

"Oh, come off it!" Nate laughed, pushing his friend away. They all stood there laughing, imagining Nate in one of those princess dresses with a tiny cup and surrounded by other little girls with tiny cups and princess dresses. Then of course there was the image of Nate gleefully picking out colors for the little girls nails. Nate gave them all little shoves towards the massive staircase, "let's go to my room to unpack and wait for everyone else."

"This is the size of my whole apartment! Bathroom and all," Alex exclaimed. Harry had to agree as he took in the massive room.

"If you two keep drooling, you'll give Nate a new pool," Severus stepped around the gobsmacked boys. He didn't care much about the casual displays of wealth as he had guessed that the Khalidi family were extremely well off even with the average family car they drove. Other than Nate's giving nature and state of clothes, Nate had mentioned the name of a preschool that his siblings went to and some quick research lead to the discovery that it was the most prestigious preschool in all of Britain that let in less than one hundred students a year. That, paired with the five languages that Nate was casually fluent in screamed wealth. It was possible that Nate learned those languages out of necessity like Severus did but he rightly doubted it.

Normally, Severus didn't like rich kids. After all, they shied away from the dirty, poor newcomer (no matter how clean he actually was) unless he was a pretty girl then the boys were a sort of okay and it was the girls pulling his dress and telling him how ugly he was and just how poor and stupid his parents must be. Severus smirked as he remembered just how many of them he punched. Rich kids were such overbearing, over privileged arses.

But not Nate. Nate was different. He was nice to everyone but not sickeningly so. He was like Chameli but less quiet. Just a calming pond of self confidence, joy and humility. He was a reliable, good friend. Severus just wished that the boy could join them at Hogwarts…

Severus sighed as he unrolled his sleeping bag in what he thought to be the best place to sleep. Harry soon joined him, unrolling right beside him. He gave his twin a secret grin. He would have at least one friend to count on in Hogwarts. Severus was suddenly filled with a strange sense of relief and happiness of having met Harry so shortly after losing his parents. He was so glad to have this piece of family, to live with him and be happy and safe with him. Their birthday was coming up soon and he really hoped that Harry liked the surprise he planned.

"Sev, you okay?" Harry whispered as he began to take off his day clothes and quickly wiggle into his pajamas. Severus had stopped moving and was just staring and smiling at him.

"I love you," Severus replied casually, changing as well. Just as usual Harry's face took on the brightness of a thousand suns and he smiled so big that it almost tore his face in half.

"I love you too!" Harry shouted, pulling him into a hug. Harry liked doing that. Hugging him. He kind of liked it, kind of found it unnecessary but it made Harry happy so he was happy.

"Ugh, look at this. If even one of my cousins were all over me like that, I'd kick them," Alex grumbled, face twisted as he took in the twins. The boy wore some sort of superhero set. Nate had on simple cotton shorts and a T-shirt with some sort of hairy man with a stick and three girls to the side. Very odd to Severus.

"Luckily, nobody wants to be all over you, mate," Nate joked, digging his elbow playfully into the pale boy's side. Alex snorted and shoved his friend and host. "Ok, lets go! We got limited daylight!"

They were sitting at a large, round table with a bunch of snacks in the middle, telling jokes and regaling the hardship of the last day of school when the rest of the boys arrived. There was Camilo, Kosmo, Kento, Selwyn and—

"What is _she_ doing here!?" Alex yelped, jumping from his chair dramatically. His hands came up to cover his chest as though he were without a shirt and as though that would matter.

"Chameli, I'm glad you made it," Severus slid from his chair to throw an arm around the girl.

"Chameli! I thought you and Surajmukhi were in India!?" Harry gushed, looking for the chubbier twin. She was nowhere in sight much to his disappointment.

"Nanni said I could stay for the sleepover," Chameli whispered, head bowed and shoulders hunched at all the stares she was attracting. Harry hated seeing her like this and gave her a hug to hide in.

"She's a _girl_! And this is a _boy's_ sleepover!" Alex hissed, causing the body in Harry's embrace to flinch. "This is not—!0

"Stop. Talking," Severus spat with a glare hot enough to raise the temperature. Harry looked over his shoulder while Chameli peeked out to see that the boy had now twisted his mouth shut and had his eyes diverted.

Good. Harry released Chameli and gave her a warm smile before looking at the other boys who seemed mildly impressed by Severus. To be honest Harry only recognized Kento because last year he had transferred all the way from Japan and it was so much buzz about it that it even made it to Harry's ears. Selwyn turned out a year above them. Harry was sure that Kosmo didn't go to their school because there was no way he'd miss a boy with long blue hair. It was seriously long, like longer than Surajmukhi's and very blue.

"My madre let me do it for last day of school," the boy reported proudly when he caught Harry staring at him in awe.

"I've never heard your accent before," Alex stared hard at the blue haired boy as though he were some kind of spy or criminal which was rude but better than how he treated Chameli. Harry paused on their ascent upstairs. Kosmo _did_ have a strange accent. Well, everyone had a strange accent but this one wasn't an accent Harry could place.

"Joo ever been to Cooba?" Kosmo tossed over his shoulder.

"Where's that?" Harry asked.

"It's where me and Camilo are from. Best mangoes in the world but those Russian putas are messing stuff up so we've come to rainy, rainy U.K.," Kosmo explained.

"Aye, the rain! I could swim in it, there's so much," Camilo exclaimed followed by what Harry assumed to be Cuban.

"There's not that much rain. Besides, you ever been to India? It's so hot! I thought the islands were hot but India is on a whole new level!" Selwyn waved his arms dramatically.

"You're indian?" Chameli piped up curiously.

"My mum is and my dad is from Jamaica. I bet you know that she called up here fifty times and talked to everyone in the neighborhood before even shaking Mr. Khalidi hands," Selwyn grinned in a way that showed he wasn't upset at his overprotective mother.

"My nanni did the same thing and India is very hot," Chameli gave an exaggerated shudder.

"You all complain about the weather, in all these places but Japan was perfect. Best of everything," Kento interrupted, chest puffed out proudly. Five heads whipped around to the Japanese boy and they all opened their mouths, probably to defend their home and Harry was kind of giddy to see who would win.

"NOPE!" Nate shouted, throwing pillows at everyone excluding Harry and Severus though it should be noted that he did eye them to see if they had been ready to join in. He had a good hand, hitting each boy in the face square on, "my sleepover will be all FUN and no arguing!"

"No need to get violent," Kosmo muttered with a pout. It was obvious that he was gearing up to say some really good things about his native country.

"Stuff it," Nate grinned, throwing another pillow that the boy dodged. It was a few more minutes of changing and unpacking (Chameli changed with the rest of them, unshy) before Nate spoke again. "Now that you're all settled we're playing capture the flag! Because there are nine of us Harry, Me and Kosmo are team captains."

Harry wasn't quite sure what this game was but he knew that they would have to get some kind of flag so he wanted Severus on his team. Actually, he'd want him on his team no matter what so he stood anxiously by Kosmo, staring hard at his twin. Nate started off with picking Alex. Kosmo followed by picking Severus.

"Okay I pick Sev—hey!" Harry growled as he watched his brother join the side of the Cuban boy.

"All is fair in war," Kosmo shrugged with a smug grin on his face. Severus, being the traitor that he was, nodded in agreement.

That traitor.

Harry stuck his tongue out at his brother and spitefully picked Camilo and listened joyfully at what had to be curses coming from the other boy. Soon the teams were divided into Team Captain Nate with Alex and Selwyn, Team Captain Kosmo with Severus and Chameli and Team Captain Harry with Camilo and Kento.

Nate handed each of them a map of the mansion where three circles were made. That was where each team's flag was. It was then that the game was explained. Each team had to lay claim to a flag and then try to steal one other team's flag. Flags could be hidden but could not leave the room they were assigned. If one is captured in enemy territory and tagged then that person had to sit in jail until they figured out a way to get pass the warden (Mrs. Khalidi). To end the game one team has to steal a flag and get back to their own territory without being tagged. Or when dinner was ready. Whichever came first.

Nate immediately slapped his hand on the flag hiding in a room in the very back of the house so there had to be something special there. Kosmo picked the one labeled 'game room' because he figured it would have lots of lights. Harry chose the one outside by the pool.

"Here are your communication devices!" Nate shouted seriously, handing out little black boxes with little poles sticking out. They each had coordinated colored tape for and Harry soon discovered that pushing the side let out a horrible noise that echoed to his other teammates. Ooohhh! It was to let them talk to one another. Duh.

"You get five minutes to set up your plan. Go, go, go!" Nate waved his arms dramatically.

And so the game began.

Harry had a simple plan. He'd place the flag at the very edge of the pool while his two teammates would guard it by facing the only entrance which was the back door. He had thought about placing it in the large tree with its shiny bottles but something deep in his mind told him to stay away so he did. So while they guarded their flag, Harry would snatch another team's flag because he was the smallest and fastest. Looking through the binoculars he spotted the game room where a bright yellow flag had been cleverly placed atop an arcade game called 'PAC-MAN' (which was apparently very fun if Kento and his starry eyed expression was anything to go by). Way too difficult. Which meant he was going for Nate's super secret room. Harry crept down the halls, quite expertly if he were to say so himself. He even did two rolls like that man Aunt Petunia secretly liked to watch on the telly. Soon, he could see the door. Nate was leaving the room, firmly closing the door behind himself.

"We're just going to leave it unguarded?" Selwyn asked.

"Trust me, no one is going to get that flag," Nate cackled in a very evil way.

"What, is there a monster in there?" Alex sneered.

"How did you know?" Nate frowned curiously. When no answer came (because what?) Nate continued on in his easygoing tone, "you two check out Harry's flag. Use the signal if you're sure you can get it. I'll see what Kosmo is up to." They took off running soon after, Harry ducking behind the large pillar to avoid being seen. As soon as the coast was clear Harry ran for the door and eased it open. The first thing he noticed was that it was _hot._ It was like a dragon had opened its mouth and spat flames directly into his face. He fanned himself and looked around, bringing his attention to a second observation.

It was dark.

Like, really dark.

"Harry?" A voice shouted from his pocket. Harry nearly shot fifty feet into the air as he whipped around to find the voice. "Harrrryyyy!" There it was again. Coming from… oh yeah! Harry laughed at himself. How did he forget the 'walkie talkie' Nate had given them? Camilo was checking on him.

"I'm here! Inside the room and it's really hot," Harry pressed on the button to whisper, "I don't see the flag but I'm looking. Oh and Alex and Selwyn are heading to you guys."

"Are—I SEE YOU!" Well, looks like their rivals were spotted. Hopefully Kento and Camilo would send both of them to jail and that would leave Nate without a clue that his partners were compromised. But Kosmo was still plotting too which meant that Severus was plotting and that meant Harry had to hurry if he wanted to win. He looked around again, squinting in the dark. Wait. There was a dull little light coming from way far back in the room. Harry slowly made his way there, walking around stands of some sort and little trees of some kind. Finally, he made it to the back and there it was! A bright red flag propped on top of some coils!

"Loooook, sisssster a cute little human! Our master did say that one would be here. I could just eat him right up…" Harry frowned. That definitely didn't come from his walkie talkie. He looked behind him in the darkness, sure that the voice had come from behind him but he couldn't see anything!

"Don't joke about sssuch… oh you are right, he is very delectable looking. Not tooooo much fat but not a lot of mussssscle either… No! Our massster would be very upssset," That was a different voice! Harry whipped back around, sure that it had came from in front of him but all that was there was the coils and the flag. Okay, Harry was getting just a little scared. Alex had joked about monsters but Nate seemed serious. What if there really was a monster—a _voodoo_ monster!? And it was planning to _eat_ Harry!

"Hmmmm, lets just scare him instead. Maybe he'll faint for a laugh. Little coward," the first voice laughed cruelly.

"HEY! I'm not a coward!" Harry shouted, whirled to face whatever monster was there. It was still just darkness to his eyes but he looked where he thought the voice was coming from and glared his best Severus Glare™ he could.

"Huh?" The second voice gasped and there was movement, he could hear something heavy and big moving about. Harry swallowed hard and steeled himself. He wasn't a coward. He was brave and, even if a monster wanted to eat him he would win this game first! Harry whipped around, swinging his walkie talkie as hard as he could and— "OW! You little sssshit! Why you hit me?"

Harry opened his eyes that he hadn't even realized he closed and found himself staring at the biggest, yellowest snake he's ever seen. And it was glaring at him, tail running at the spot where Harry must have struck it. Oh no!

"I am _so_ sorry! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?! I thought you were a monster, not a snake and I heard you talking about eating me and stuff and… er?" Harry trailed off as the snake stared open mouthed at him. Now that he knew it was a snake, he wasn't anywhere near scared but the snake was staring at him in what he had to guess was a struck dumb gape with the mouth dropped and eyes wide. He waved his hand in front of the yellow snake to maybe get her (he was sure she was a she) attention but she just stared at him.

"Little pale to be a witch doctor, no?" The first voice hissed.

"Huh? I'm not a witch doc—YOU HAVE WINGS!" Harry roared as he came face to face with a multicolored _winged_ snake. With wings! Big, white fluffy wings that held his snakey body just at the right angle to make his scales shine like gems in the dim light.

"Too stupid too," the winged snake snorted, gliding to the floor next to his shell shocked brethren.

"Hey! I'm not stupid. How am I supposed to know snakes can have wings? I've never seen it before," Harry defended himself. This snake was very rude. He'd have to tell Nate about that!

"How can you speak with us?" The yellow snake demanded.

"I'm a wizard. We can speak to snakes," Harry guessed with a casual shrug then he grinned, "My name is Harry."

"Hmmm… sssounds fake but I'm Bumblebee." It was hard for him to bite back his laugh and he couldn't help his big smile. Snakes were very expressive creatures, Harry thought as the female snake shot him a nasty look. "Shut. Up. Nate was very young when we bonded. That's Angel."

This time Harry howled with laughter. Despite the giant fangs that the snake was now baring at him, he _did_ look like an angel! With cute, fluffy wings! He just wanted to shove his face in the fluff and marvel at its softness but Harry was amused, not crazy. The game was completely gone from his mind as he and the snakes spoke. He learned that Angel and Bumblebee were magical and actually hundreds of years old, passed down for five generations now in Nate's family. They gave him vague but entertaining stories of adventure and wars and love. In return Harry told them about himself and his twin, happily relaying just how amazing everything has been since his brother arrived in his life and all the changes he brought about.

"Harry? NO!" Severus was there, yanking on him and pulling him away from his new snake friends. Harry struggled against the suddenly iron strong hands and the choking collar of his shirt but it was no use. His brother was much stronger than what his small stature would lead one to believe.

"Wait, Sev. They weren't going to hurt me!" Harry tried to get his feet under himself properly but they were out the room and back in the light. Severus looked around the empty halls before he pushed Harry into the closed door and leaned until their noses almost touched and his hands shifted to grab him hard around the shoulders. Some strange emotion made Severus's eyes wide and frantic.

"Harry! You can't do that! You can NEVER, EVER do that again! Especially not in the Wizarding world. Parseltongue is dangerous to anyone who speaks it," Severus whispered harshly.

"Parsel-what?" It wasn't often that Severus confused him nowadays but it felt like he was back in that cupboard, confused by this mad redhead. But this wild look in Severus's eyes wasn't crazed anger or vengeance. It was something else. Something familiar.

"Snake speech! Only dark wizards can do that and, if someone finds out, they'll try to execute you. They will set you on fire like the witches of old. Do. Not. Do. That. Ever. Again." It was then that Harry realized just what the emotion was. Severus was scared. Terrified, actually. Of him or for him, Harry couldn't tell but it scared him too. Severus was never scared. The grip on his shoulders tightened and Severus pressed even closer. "Don't just stare at me, Harry! Promise me you won't do it again… _please_."

"If you don't want me to, I won't do it anymore. I swear," Harry promised. Brown eyes observed him for a long, tense moment before he nodded his acceptance and pulled away.

"I came to get you because the game is over," Severus sighed, grabbing him by the hand so tight that it took all of Harry's will to not wince, "My team won."

The odd tense feeling between Harry and Severus was all but forgotten once they entered the theater room because it was a _huge theater room!_ With a popping popcorn machine and a little machine moving mini hot dogs around! A literal, actual cinema right inside a house! There were even theater chairs that looked soft and fancy in front of the big screen but the boys had taken refuge in the middle of the room in large bean bag chairs. In the middle of their circle was a huge array of snacks, candy, pizza and all sorts of fizzy drinks. Two spots were left open for the twins and they joined the energetic group.

"Niño sirena!" Kosmo shouted as he finished pinning his long blue hair up. He grabbed a fizzy drink and held it up like a toast.

"Mermaid boy?" Camilo snorted before anyone who was ignorant to their shared language could ask. Harry looked to his brother who now had a slight pink tint to his cheeks that he attempted to cover by bowing his head and allowing the wet tendrils of his hair to cover him. His hair was wet. And he was wearing different pajamas.

"Hey! You got my flag!?" Harry pouted with crossed arms. That traitor!

"Team Captain thought it would be easiest," Severus didn't look the least bit contrite. He popped a jelly bean from the virtual mountain he'd hoarded while everyone else focused on the other snacks. Harry was still positive that Severus didn't have a sweet tooth but he seemed to really like those jelly beans so he kept that in mind, "He was correct. I just swam over and stole the flag."

"Like something out of a spy movie! All silent like a crocodile and fast like a cheetah," Kosmo gushed around a mouthful of popcorn. Harry settled in to listen, grabbing a handful of some sort of round mini candies. It turned out to be an explosion of chocolate and peanut butter and it was delicious. It gave him a new burst of energy and he was determined to try all the snacks available! Every last bit even if he had to wrestle some of those jellies away from Severus.

"Uuuuggghhhhhh nobody cares!" Alex groaned loudly, carefully throwing a single piece of candy at the tanned boy. Kosmo caught the returning shot and popped it in his mouth with a satisfied grin that was ruined by the glare he leveled at Severus. To his credit Severus ignored him in favor for eyeing the large bowl of popcorn to add to his candy mountain, "the movie is going to start now so shut up about the game."

What was Alex's problem? Harry wondered if one of them had done something to the boy. Maybe it was in another lifetime because Harry was very, very sure his first day meeting Alex had been on the playground that day and he still hadn't liked him then and he spoke bad about Severus. Speaking of which… Harry looked at his brother with the screen shining brightly on his face. He seemed much calmer now but he could be acting. Severus acted a lot. The only thing he was very sure wasn't an act was the fear in his eyes and the cold, clammy feel of his hands gripping his shoulders. He had questions, a lot of them but the movie was starting and there was always later.

The movie started. It was very, very funny and he hoped he could see it again one day. It was about an American boy and an old man who goes back in time to make the boy's parents fall in love because he accidentally made her fall in love with him (which Harry thought was kinda gross) but he also had to save the old man too from bad guys! It had great music and the DeLorean was wicked cool and the bully got what was coming to him! Harry really, really liked that movie.

After the movie ended they cleaned up their candy and food and retreated to Nate's room where they immediately engaged in some roughhousing. Nate was really good at it (even though he was tied in being the smallest) by dodging pillows thrown and bodies trying to tackle him. Harry took to that strategy and simply stayed out of arm's reach. Of course it didn't work too well when the boys teamed up on them in the limited space. Harry went down giggling and wiggling under the bodies piled on top of him. He had just gotten out when he started to be attacked with pillows, the soft and fluffy kinda that caused his protests to be drowned out by his laughter.

"Give up, Potter!" Chameli crowed victoriously, pausing for a moment to allow Harry's response. That was her mistake.

"Never!" Harry grabbed the girl's ankle and yanked hard. With a yelp she was on the ground and Harry rolled far away from his attacker, scooping up a pillow on the way. Then he faced Chameli with his new weapon. There was no time to think of a strategy so he roared loudly and ran forward at the same time that Chameli did the same. They swung wildly at each other over and over until a step back caused the taller girl to trip and land on her bottom. With a whoop Harry threw himself into his attack with renewed energy. This was so much fun! So great! Harry never wanted tonight to end.

"Oi, you too good for this or something, _Sevvie_?" Alex's nasty tone interrupted Harry's joy. He looked around for his brother and found him sitting in the corner as far away as possible with his book on his lap and his pile of jelly beans in a little bowl. Severus flipped another page which made Alex angrier and caused the room to descend into silence. "You didn't hear me or something?"

"Or something," Severus replied, popping another jelly in his mouth. Alex turned a nasty shade of red and seemed to be working himself into a fit.

"Alex, leave him alone. Let him read his book," Camilo threw a pillow in the dark haired boy's direction. It missed him by a mile and hit Kento instead.

"No! _Sevvie_ is always acting like he's better than everyone in school being all nasty and mean but nice and sweet when he wants to be a fat arse!" Alex hissed. Harry bristled at that. Severus wasn't being greedy like the boy thought. He asked for people's food because he wasn't eating at home. He was being starved back then and, even if he wasn't, what did it matter to Alex? Severus looked up from his book and gave the boy a calculating once over that made his eyes glitter. He placed a little marker in his book and closed it to fully face the fuming boy.

"Do you think I care if I've upsetted you?" Severus asked. Harry flinched as though the words had been said to him but he didn't think Severus had ever used such a cold, nasty tone on him. "Your feelings are less than trash to me. However I do care if you ruin this for our shared friends. So… it would be smart to leave me be until after the sleepover." Severus's gaze dared the boy to choose the stupid path as he picked his book back up and continued to read. Alex let out a wordless snarl and stomped out of the room. Nate sighed and followed after his friend with only a smile to the others in the room.

"Ima nani ga atta no? Alex is being a prick again," Kento shook his head and flopped down. The atmosphere for a good bout of roughhousing had expired and Harry was sure it wasn't coming back any time soon. He dragged a fluffy blanket over to his brother and sat by him.

"That kid is loco," Camilo shook his head, throwing himself onto a small pile of pillows next to Kento.

"What's his problem with you, Severus? He's never liked you," Chameli asked.

"That's a understatement. I knew you before I even met you with how much he goes on and on and on and on about you!" Selwyn added. Severus simply shrugged and continued to devour both his book and candy. The remaining kids didn't seem to care all that much and started talking about their plans for a super fun summer and just what was going to ruin it for a day or week such as visiting their demented granny who thought that they were their uncle or that creepy uncle who lurked around like a vampire. Almost as soon as Selwyn finished his story about his aunt who tried to poison her church congregation Nate and Alex returned. The paler of the two was more docile though he purposely kept his eyes from Severus's little corner by simply having his back towards him. Nate, ever the gracious and distracting host, pulled out a deck of cards and announced that it was time everyone knew how to play poker. It seemed to excite everyone else so Harry was excited to learn as well.

"You coming, Sev?" Harry poked at his brother. Severus looked up from his book long enough to shake his head in the negative and went back to reading. Before too much disappointment showed on Harry's face his twin shot him a small smile. Harry took it for what it was: Severus had had enough interactions and he just wanted to read his book for a while. He might even join them next round.

When Harry woke the next morning he really wished it was the same day all over again. This was the most fun he's ever had and he didn't want to give it up. He sighed and snuggled closer to the body half on top of him. Though they had set up their sleeping bags the boys had all ended up on Nate's softer than a cloud bed and piled on top of each other. It was more comfortable than anything he's ever experienced. Nobody else seemed awake so Harry tried to fall back to sleep. Wait, where was Severus? Harry carefully moved Kosmo's arm and sat up. He was still in the corner, reading but now he was using the light of the sun and between Nate and Chameli both of whom had fallen asleep on his shoulders.

"Go back to sleep," Severus whispered. Harry yawned and nodded.

Sleep sounded very good.

TBC

There ya have it. Second to last chapter. What's next? BIRTHDAY! But seriously I am sorry if I misled and made it seem like Hogwarts was going to happen in this part of the story. I suck lol.


	12. The Birthday

"Harry! Wake. Up!" Rough hands shook him hard.

"Go away," Harry grumbled and attempted very poorly to get away via rolling. The hands just followed him until he gave up at the edge of the bed. Harry sighed and blinked into the dimly lit room. He glared blearily at his smiling brother. It was very, very late according to his tummy. Oh and the completely dark sky with only stars and half a moon to light it.

"Why did you wake me?" It sounded like a whine because it was a whine. He had been having a really good dream, one with Surajmukhi and him playing in a field of sunflowers. And a lady with long, long red hair standing in the distance but even from that far he could see that she was smiling. It was a good dream. A calm one.

"It's almost midnight Harry. It's almost our birthday," Severus proclaimed quietly. Harry gasped and sat up so fast he almost got whiplash. How could he even come close to forgetting about their birthday? It was the first one that Harry wouldn't spend in that horrible cupboard. The first one where he would celebrate. The first one where he had someone to celebrate with him!

"Blow out the candle," Severus pulled a cupcake from behind his back, a single candle lit in the middle.

"Together?" He grinned. Severus rolled his eyes but leaned forward anyway, blowing at the same time. Harry wished with all his might to never, ever be separated from his brother. "What did you wish for?" Harry set the candle to the side and broke the cupcake in half. It was heavenly and definitely homemade with his favorite buttercream icing on top!

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true," Severus teased as he too ate the chocolate dessert. Harry rolled his eyes. He was positive that Severus didn't believe in that kinda stuff. But that was okay. It was time for gifts!

Harry practically flung himself out of their bed to go to the super secret hiding spot in the closet. It was under a loose floorboard because you can't just have things laying around if you want to hide them from Severus. Of course, _now_ he would need a new hiding space but that was something to think about next year. This year he grabbed the gifts he had gotten for his brother. It involved a really pretty, leather bound book and a pretty feather complete with an ink pot and tiny knife. Now, he wasn't quite sure how one could write with a feather but he had been assured by Madam Pince that Severus would _love_ this journal and the quill he included. He bounced on his heels the last few minutes to midnight then practically threw the gifts at his awaiting brother before making himself comfortable on their little round rug.

"Happy birthday, Severus! This is a quill from a _Phoenix_ which is why it's so red. That's a little knife to sharpen it, I'm sure. Annnd this is an ink pot. But most important is a journal for you. I figured you could write down all your ideas and stuff. I know you like to think about magic and potions and this book is brilliant for secrets! You put your hand in the middle and make a password for it to open and it's charmed for extra pages and it's spill proof and the dragon hide means it can't bu… are you okay?" Harry twisted his body to try to look at Severus's bowed head. He was absolutely still and just seemed to be staring at the presents in his grasp. Did he upset him? Was he crying? Harry placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder and was immediately snatched up into a hug. He let out a startled laugh and hugged Severus back as tight as he could.

"Of course I am. These are really great gifts, thank you Harry. Happy birthday," Severus released him, unable to wipe away the large grin on his face. He reached behind himself and shoved his presents into Harry's hands. Two cameras and a photo album. Harry immediately felt his eyes burn with tears as he flipped through the photos, soaking them in one by one as though he'd never get another chance to see it.

The first one of a little girl Lily and little girl Petunia hugging tightly in matching dresses. He could hardly believe his aunt ever looked so happy and cute. Harry giggled at the look of disgust that Severus would no doubt have at even the suggestion that their aunt was anything more than a 'horse faced harpy'. He looked to the next picture. It was of their mum and a pale, almost grey boy with greasy hair and a huge nose. His clothes were too big and too small but it didn't matter because they were both happy and smiling, shoulders pressed tight together. They seemed to be really good friends as they continued to grow and take pictures together until, suddenly in their teens, he just wasn't there. Harry frowned. The boy had to be Severus—not his Severus of course but the one that Aunt Petunia hated for taking her sister away. He wondered what happened for him to just not be there anymore…

"Whoa!" Harry gasped as the next picture he came across _moved_. It was of their mum and dad, spinning joyfully with leaves falling all around them. They were laughing. And so, so happy. And alive.

"There is evidence that they can see you, many wizards claim to come to a crossing point on the brink of death and see their loved ones waiting for them," Severus whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. Harry pulled the boy into another hug, hot tears soaking his nightshirt.

"I miss them. She used to sing to me. I can hear it sometimes, her humming. And he was very warm. I know it's silly because I was just a baby but—."

"It's not silly," Severus interrupted, "memories are always there, preserved, even when they are wiped away or buried. They're there throughout all the years. The humming and the warmth are very real and not silly."

"You really think so?" Harry whispered, eyes glued to the picture of these two happy people who loved him very, very much.

"I know it as a fact. Now," Severus gently closed the book and picked up the smaller of the two cameras. He fiddled with it for a second or two then held it up high and faced it towards them, "smile for our first birthday together." Harry wiped his face quickly and beamed up at the camera, face smushed cheek to cheek with his twin. A light flashed and a little whirring sound was heard as a picture slowly popped out.

"An instant camera?" Harry gaped.

"Indeed it is," Severus sounded quite smug as he waved the picture in the air, "the other camera is a regular one so I made you a dark room in the cupboard to develop pictures. I even have a potion to make them moving pictures but only enough for ten so choose wisely." Severus waved it some more and presented it to a wide eyed Harry. There they were with light shining on their faces and Severus with his hair a wild mess of red and Harry with bloodshot eyes and both of them smiling like loonies with the camera tilted just a little bit out of center

Harry thought it was very, very perfect.

"Harry. Wake. Up!" Hands pushed and pulled at him. Harry waved the hands away. Yeah, yeah it was officially the morning of their birthday but that meant he was allowed to sleep in as long as he wanted with nothing but the peaceful silence of finally being left alone. The one day of the year with no chores, telling or yelling. He was left completely alone and he rather enjoyed that. And an added bonus was that he was now in a soft bed in a wide open room rather than on a thin cot in a cramped cupboard.

"Harry, if you do not get up I will have a temper tantrum," the voice hissed. Harry's eyes popped open and he shot up in their large bed to face his blurry brother. He's never seen Severus have a temper tantrum but he has seen Dudley have one and those broke furniture. He couldn't even imagine the kinds of horror Severus was capable of unleashing any pent up or recently built fury.

Severus shoved his glasses into his hand and practically ran out of the room. Harry yawned and glanced at the little clock on the dresser. He was only a little surprised that it was almost noon because in his cupboard it was impossible to sleep that late even on his birthday. He yawned again and slipped from under the covers and padded into the bathroom, grabbing his towel as an afterthought.

"Okay Sev, I'm awake!" Harry announced upon leaving the bathroom with freshly washed body and brushed teeth. He stepped in their bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks, just barely keeping his towel up properly. Balloons. Tons. And tons of balloons of all colors, shapes and sizes filled the room. There was enough for Harry to fly away with. He couldn't see past how many balloons there were. Gleefully Harry pushed further into the room, kicking balloons that were decorating the floor until he made it to the bed where Severus sat. The boy was leaned back with a book, a tray of breakfast by his side. It was a big steaming bowl of porridge heaped with all his favorite fruit and toast with a bottle of honey, a little jar of marmalade and a little sugar bowl.

"Severus!" Harry gaped.

"Hm?" Severus cocked his head though his eyes didn't leave the written words.

"Balloons!" He gestured. Severus finally looked up and turned his gaze to the dozens and dozens of balloons.

"There does seem to be balloons," he hummed.

"Breakfast!" Harry pointed.

"In bed," Severus added. Harry blinked back unexpected tears and climbed onto their bed. He ate his breakfast slowly, savoring every flavor and marveling at all the balloons. When he finished Severus placed the tray on their nightstand and pointed to some folded clothes for him to put on. They were simple. Just a T-shirt and shorts. Much like Severus's outfit. He even had his hair up in a neat ponytail.

"Let's go. Grab as many balloons as you can," Severus ordered, gathering said balloons by their long, curly strings. Harry stayed silent, practically vibrating in his trainers. He didn't know what was happening but it had to be something amazing. The Dursleys were sitting on the couch, television playing away. Severus walked by them without a single glance but Harry felt the urge to acknowledge them in some kind of way so waved as he walked by. Aunt Petunia gave them a glance but her eyes darted to her husband and she silently went back to watching their program. Uncle Vernon was visibly grinding his teeth, his arm tightening around Aunt Petunia. And Dudley seemed transfixed by his floating load but he too said nothing.

"Come on, Harry!" Severus called over his shoulder, still going his steady but slow pace.

"We'll be back," Harry announced to the air then he jogged to his twin. They were walking across the street and, no doubt, to Miss Figg home. Harry wrinkled his nose. He really liked Miss Figg. She was a nice old lady who always fed him delicious treats whenever the Dursleys left him over there but she also had cats. Lots of cats. Like LOTS of cats. And it smelled like it. He looked at their precious balloons and could just imagine them all being covered in all that cat hair and popping and startling them into a stampede. They'd be crushed.

"Erm, Sev…" Harry started as they reached the door. Severus threw the door open and pushed him inside the darkness before he could finish.

"SURPRISE!" The room burst into light and Harry let go of the balloons as he took in the sheer number of people. Nate, Kento, Camilo, Kosmo and Selwyn were there, throwing confetti at his shocked face. Mrs. Khalidi and an extremely pale woman with a scarf on her head stood holding a three tier cake with eight candles on each level, all unlit. There were colorful streamers all over the walls and a huge banner proclaiming it was Harry's and Severus's eighth birthday. Harry took a deep breath and smelled nothing but cookies, cake and other sweets. Not a cat in sight. Instead there were presents and kids and his friends and just so much!

"Happy Birthday, mates!" Nate broke away and slung his arms over both their shoulders. Harry felt dizzy. And his vision was blurred. Oh. He was crying again.

"What's wrong, amigo?" Camilo asked, dropping the last of his confetti as the tears poured hotly down his cheeks. Harry tried to get words out, to let everyone know he was okay. He was just overwhelmed by having so many people and things and it was just a lot for his first birthday party but he was stopped by warmth. Warmth all around him, surrounding him with friendship and love.

"You want me to cancel?" Severus asked, lips pressed into his ear as he was squished by the sudden group hug. Harry wanted to whip his head around but he couldn't in this bunch but he made sure his voice was loud and clear and filled with as much conviction as possible.

"No! This is brilliant! Thanks for throwing this party and thanks everybody for coming!" Harry laughed wetly. He pushed his way out of the group hug and threw his arms up, "Lets play!"

"Wait just a moment, Harry. You've noticed that two of our friends aren't here, correct?" Severus gestured to all the children. Harry nodded. Of course he noticed that Surajmukhi and Chameli weren't there because it was still summer so they were likely still in India. Severus pulled him to Miss Figg's telly which was definitely a new addition along with the video player on top it. Harry was planted right in front of it while Severus fiddled with some buttons and cords. Soon a movie was playing. It started with beautiful footage of a river, a sort of church but with a pretty and colorful elephant and, finally a bustling market. The camera moved through the market, taking in the people shouting in another language—Hindi! They were in India!—and presenting all their wares. The camera got to the end of the market to where Surajmukhi and Chameli were obviously waiting with their backs to the camera. They were both wearing the more traditional clothes that their nanni usually wore around though Chameli seemed to be picking at her wrap and fussing with her hair that was adorned with pretty things much like her twin's all the while Surajmukhi idly slapped her hands away.

"Girls!" A deep voice half whispered and half shouted. The twins whirled away from each other, obviously startled but they recovered quickly with big smiles on their faces.

"Hello Severus, hello Harry! I'm sorry we're missing your birthday party!" Chameli started.

"We really wanted to be there but _Dad_!" Surajmukhi glared at someone behind the camera, probably the cameraman, "Says his work is too important for us to go back early even for one day."

"You sent them very nice presents," the cameraman, their father responded casually. The girl paused in whatever she was going to say then nodded brightly.

"True! We sent you guys ALL the native sweets we could think of _and_ our movies!" Surajmukhi clapped excitedly.

"They're not in English but they're a lot of fun and we think you'll really like them," Chameli added.

"We wish you both a very, very happy and fun birthday!" Surajmukhi said.

"BYYYEEEE!" They shouted loudly, waving and jumping up and down. The camera slowly pulled away, through the market, the temple and finally back to the river. Then it faded to black. Severus turned off the telly and faced Harry expectedly as though he were waiting for a response, a testy response but not. Harry willed himself to not cry over the heartfelt video and gave his brother a smile instead.

" _Now,_ let's play," Nate threw an arm around his shoulder. Cheers erupted and then there was music and games.

"Hello Harry." Harry turned from shoving cookies into his mouth and saw the pale woman with the scarf on her head. Up close he saw that she was very skinny but not like Aunt Petunia. She was bone thin and there were dark circles under her eyes but her smile was soft and she seemed very nice.

"Hello miss um…" Harry trailed off as he realized that he had not a clue who she was. She didn't look anything like any of his friends but she might be the parent of one of the kids he wasn't quite friends with but were rapidly liking more and more. Maybe she was a really big sister of the brown haired girl Stacy because she looked really young the longer he looked at her.

"I am Miss Veronica Seeds." Seeds. He knew that surname.

"Mom, did you find… oh." Alex. Harry whirled around to see the boy with confetti in his hair and a flush to his cheeks. How long had the dark haired boy been running around at his party? Maybe Harry was having so much fun that he hadn't even noticed the normally sour boy which was very likely.

"Hello, baby. I was just thanking Harry for inviting you to this party of his. It was very nice of him," the woman smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," Alex mumbled, turning on his heel and back into the fray. His mother laughed softly, drawing Harry's attention.

"He's a sweet boy, he really is but he's also a bit of a prat too," Miss Seeds laughed at his look of surprise. It was a soft, breezy noise that Harry thought should be louder and deeper, "Parents like to pretend that their kids are perfect or that because something bad happens it excuses their behavior. My Alex is sweet but he can be a pain and that causes him not to make and keep friends easily. It's why I was so glad to hear that he was invited to not one but two parties. It's not good for a child to spend so much with his ailing mother."

"Ailing?" Harry wasn't surprised but he was.

"Never you mind that. I think it's time to smack the piñatas," Miss Seeds pointed behind him. Harry followed her finger to see Severus standing there with two sticks in his hands.

"Miss Seeds is correct. I am glad that you made it, ma'am," Severus gave her a half bow which prompted another too soft, too low laugh.

"Such a charmer," she said as she left the kitchen. Harry watched her go then focused on his twin. Severus was a mean, fire spitting boy who hurt people's feeling as a fun pastime. He used people for whatever he wanted. He would hurt people if he had to. Kill them even. But he also invited a boy he didn't like to his birthday party because he had a sick mom and only one sure friend. That was really nice, maybe the nicest thing he's done for someone not Harry. The more that Harry thought about the redhead and the journey they've shared so far he's realized that Severus could have left the day he arrived. Locks meant nothing to him and he's lived in constant motion for his entire life. And yet he's never abandoned Harry to his fate. Instead he stayed around and actively made Harry's life better. That was so… selfless.

"Why are you giving me that look?" Severus tilted his head curiously. Harry walked up to him and placed both his hands on the other's shoulders. He looked him deep in his brownie brown eyes. Severus raised a brow as he remained silent but waited patiently nonetheless.

"You're the best." Harry finally said. Severus snorted and swatted away his hands with his stick while pushing one into Harry's hands. The messy haired boy let out a distressed noise and caught the smaller boy's hand. Severus turned his head with curiosity making his eyes glitter. "No, seriously, I love you so much." Severus was still for only a heartbeat before a smile pulled his lips up and he laced his fingers through Harry's.

"I love you too."

The END!

So this is where the prequel officially ends.

I hope you go to the sequel which will probably be named 'Harry, Severus and that Dude with Two Faces' or 'Harry, Severus and the Pretty Rock' or 'The Potter Twins and Their First Year' or 'The Teacher Who is Totally Evil but Everyone is Acting like He's Not' or 'The First Year Shouldn't Have Been so Hard'.

I don't know. One of those. Or something better if I can dredge up some creativity. Throw out some suggestions if you'd like. It'll be out in two weeks.

Until then goodbyeeeeeee!


	13. Halloween

I didn't want to just make a sequel announcement so I made this Halloween bonus chapter! It's short and I wrote it in like thirty minutes

+—

"And this is what holiday?" Severus tilted his head in slight confusion. He looked in the mirror at the red protrusions atop his head, the strange, stretchy red bodysuit and the long, red… tail? He was sure that it was a tail but what kind of tail had a triangle tip? Severus picked up the packaging that Harry had hidden from him and immediately frowned. The package claimed that this was a 'devil costume'. He knew that muggles were an odd people but they weren't stupid so why would they assume that any demon, much less the King of Demons would be red? Severus looked at himself in the mirror and let out another scoff. He didn't look like any demon he's ever seen or read about.

"How do you not know about Halloween?" Harry gasped, throwing back the curtain to look at Severus as though he just said he liked to kick puppies and also wearing the most ridiculous thing ever which was impressive as Harry had gotten quite creative and expressive recently. It was a white robe with a gold rope like belt and fluffy white… wings? And some sort of gold hoop above his head.

"What are you?" He tilted his head.

"W-what do you mean what am I?" Harry sputtered, gesturing to his gold hoop and turning to shove his wings into Severus's face. "I'm an angel!"

"Angel? How could these fluffy messes possibly protect you from Hellfire? What is that thing above your head? Why would you be wearing clothes?" Severus poked at the golden thing and plucked at the cheap robes. Harry slapped his hand away, pushing away the thousands of questions that popped into his head about what sort of knowledge Severus had about _real_ angels seeing as he's never believed in them.

"Never mind that. How could you not know that there was a holiday at the end of October. It's Halloween!" Harry waved his arms around dramatically. Severus thought back to last year. He would have spent this 'Halloween' with the Dursleys… he looked at the odd decorations all around the store they were in, both selling them and displaying them. He did recall their school being set up in this way all throughout October but he didn't recall anything about dressing up in a costume.

"I had a cold," Severus realized embarrassingly slow. He had spent the last two days of October in a coma but so much happened that he compartmentalized a little too well.

"A cold?" It was Harry's turn to cock his head. Last Halloween and the day before they were locked in the cupboard, he remembered and it was the first time he witnessed Severus sleep. The boy had only awakened twice to sit up and… do nothing. He was just (presumably seeing as it was very dark) staring at the wall before flopping back down and going back to sleep.

Severus paused in his plucking at the odd wings on Harry's back. Last October was when the Dursleys truly began to starve him. He had been foolish and arrogant enough to think that he could conjure food from thin air even when his ma and pa and every book he has ever read on the subject has stated time and time again that it wasn't feasible. It felt like his heart had stopped and his brain had deflated. He was sure he had had a seizure sometime during his two night coma because he had awakened in horrible.

"It was a simple cold. I slept it off," he lied easily.

"Oh. Well, didn't you notice when you were with your ma and pa?" Harry began to look at himself in the mirror. He didn't know anything about actual angels but the costume did look a bit ridiculous on him.

"I don't think I've ever known the date," Severus mused. It wasn't until he was going to school that he actually saw a calendar and knew the exact date. In his old life he lived by seasons and sunrises, "there was a time in the year when spells would be at their strongest and rituals would be done. I suppose it would fall close to your Halloween."

"Well this Halloween will be about getting candy and wearing awesome costumes!" Harry insisted, shoving another strange, stretchy body suit into his hands. This one was green. He stripped quickly and pulled it on only to stop at the sight of the head piece.

"No," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on Sev! We have to be a pair and you don't want to wear this one, right?" Harry wiggled his now round black and yellow butt complete with a stinger. How did the boy manage to change so quickly? Severus wrinkled his nose but decided that he definitely didn't want to be the bee to this flower.

"The pink clashes with my hair," he protested.

"It comes in yellloooowww," Harry sang joyfully.

"No." Severus repeated.

"Seeevvvv! We don't have all day. We need two costumes. One for Nate's party and one for trick and treating!" Harry whined. Severus sighed. He knew that Nate would be understanding if Severus went without a costume but he knew that was even worse than anger.

"Fine but I get to pick the costume for the party," he insisted.

"Sure!"

— +

Harry wasn't sure if he was confused or impressed as he stood in front of Nate's giant mirror. Severus had painted him dark blue from his head to his feet. He ripped all the fluff from the angel wings to give him thin, wire wings covered in some sheer fabric. Then he got some sort of prosthetics for his ears that made them bigger and longer. And his hair had been sprayed silver.

"Wow! You look just like pixies!" Nate gasped. Oh! They were pixies. Harry grinned around his suddenly too sharp teeth (this was done with magic) and faced Severus who seemed to just finish sharpening his own teeth.

"If I felt confident in my ability to undo it I would have blackened our eyes," Severus sighed a bit mournfully. Nate laughed and came to throw an arm over the redhead's shoulder. Nate himself was…

"Vampire!" Harry gasped as he spotted the thin, sharp canine teeth within his friend's mouth.

"Yeah it's just a temporary curse, don't tell my mum," Nate winked but his tone was serious.

"Did you turn yourself into a actual vampire just for a muggle holiday?" Severus gaped within the half embrace.

"... not like a real one. Just half… and just for a few hours," Nate muttered, a blush no doubt attempting to rise but unable because their friend was now _undead_!

"I'm making our eyes black," Severus snapped, marching up to Harry. The boy sighed and thought of protesting as he did hear his twin say specifically that worst case wouldn't be vision loss but... how cool would black eyes be!?

+—

The party had gone well and Harry wasn't blinded when Severus removed his spell. So there was nothing but excitement for the trick or treating they engaged in the next night. Due to their agreement, Harry dressed them how he wanted them to which excluded all magic, body paint and competition. Just regular muggle costumes.

"Awww look at the wittle kitty! You are such a cutie," The woman cooed at Severus. Harry smothered his giggles in his doggy paw hand. This wasn't even the fifth house they've all been to and yet it was the tenth woman who reacted this way upon spotting Severus. They said the same thing about him too but it was funnier due to the obvious displeasure Severus had for it.

"If you pet him, he'll purr," Alex added snidely from the side. He had a simple sheet thrown over his head and eye circles cut out. A subpar ghost is how Severus commented upon seeing him.

"Actually, I wouldn't ma'am," Nate stepped between the woman's reaching hand and the rapidly furious Severus. They hadn't have someone touch the red haired cat so far but even Harry knew that could only end in disaster.

"Oh and who are you supposed to be?" The woman smiled down at the brown skinned boy, dropping candy into his open candy bag.

"I'm an American baseball player!" Nate grinned, raising his baseball bat, "Jackie Robinson is his name."

"Oh isn't that so sweet—and cultural!" The woman cooed.

"I hate this holiday," Severus announced once they left.

"Don't you like being such a cute, cuddly kitty, Sevviekins?" Alex mocked.

"I'm going to punch you if you don't leave Sev alone," Surajmukhi threatened, holding up a black glove fist. Much to Severus's amusement the twins had dressed up as a witch and wizard. Harry thought that they were both witches but Severus insisted that the robes Chameli wore was definitely a male cut wizard robe.

"And what do we have here? Some ickle babies with too much candy?" A voice interrupted before Alex could say anything. Four teenagers stepped out from the darkness, blank blue masks on their faces and regular clothes on their bodies.

"Oh are you boys the cliche neighborhood bullies? Is there club where you guys meet? I bet the requirements are just to be big and sorta dull," Harry giggled.

"What you say you little prick?" One sputtered.

"Was it too complicated? Or are you hard of hearing?" Harry squinted.

"You touch him and I'll break your wrist," Severus threw out when one bully broke rank and stepped forward. He yawned when the attention was now placed on him.

"I'm going to get my nanni!" Surajmukhi announced loudly, grabbing her sister by the wrist and confidently leaving. Severus casually stepped in the way as the first bully made an attempt to follow her, barely casting a glance at the large teenager. This seemed to anger the boy but he wisely chose to not grab at him or run after the Indian twins.

"You're not good bullies if you let people get away," Harry called out, nodding to where Alex had once been standing. Alex had turned tail and ran almost as soon as the boys had appeared.

"It isn't proper bully protocol," Nate agreed.

"If you touch _him_ I'll break your wrist," Severus spoke up again when one of the boys stepped toward Nate. This was officially boring and rather tedious. He held up his bag of treats, "if it's candy you want, you can take mine."

"It's not about the candy anymore. I think you can all use a lesson in respect," the leader growled.

"If that's what you want," Severus shrugged, having expected that response. He traded his candy for the bat Nate held. It was made of some excellent wood and felt both heavy and light in his hands. Perfect, in his opinion. "Who will be the first teacher?"

+—

"Sev…" Harry sighed as he looked down at the groaning and broken boys. One was completely silent but Nate assured them that his life force was still shining bright.

"Hm?" Sev poked one boy with the now broken bat.

"You didn't have to chase the last one," Harry scolded.

"They offered lessons and I wanted to see if he had a different insight than his friends," the redhead insisted. Nate snorted and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"Let's get outta here before you decide to mark your territory," Nate teased. Harry laughed and Severus glared.

The End!

So yeah. The sequel is now up and starting. It's called Harry, Severus and the Year that Really Shouldn't Have been So Hard'. Or something like that.


End file.
